Wolverhampton Wanderers head into the second leg of their Europa League last-32 tie with Espanyol looking to defend their 4-0 advantage on aggregate.

Sitting five points adrift of safety in La Liga, Espanyol must decide whether to again rest players in order to focus their efforts on the domestic scene.

Match preview

With Espanyol having improved since the appointment of Abelardo, Wolves would have expected a tough examination at Molineux last week, with the focus likely on avoiding conceding away goals over scoring a hatful at the other end.

However, after the visitors made nine changes to their starting lineup, it allowed Wolves to run riot in front of their home supporters, putting the club on the brink of an appearance in the last 16 of the competition.

Although the Premier League outfit still have work to do at the RCDE Stadium, Diogo Jota's treble has left his side in total control ahead of the reverse fixture in Barcelona.

While Nuno Espirito Santo may opt against making mass alterations, the Portuguese will likely take the game with Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend into consideration when selecting his team.

That could result in Daniel Podence being handed his first start for the club after his January arrival, while Wolves fans may hope to see what Leonardo Campana has to offer after the Ecuadorian featured on the substitutes' bench last week.

On the flip side, Nuno could prefer to maintain the momentum generated from Sunday's 3-0 win over Norwich City, a result which saw Wolves keep their fourth clean sheet in succession.

As far as Espanyol are concerned, Abelardo has a decision to make regarding his team selection after two hugely disappointing results in the space of three days.

The recently-appointed boss was hoping that resting players for the first leg would help their cause against Real Valladolid three days later, but his side succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against one of their relegation rivals.

With Atletico Madrid to come at home on Sunday afternoon, the ex-Barcelona defender may feel that it makes sense to accept their fate on the European scene, aware that they can ill afford to drop further behind 17th place in Spain's top flight.

Espanyol Europa League form: WWWDLL
Espanyol form (all competitions): DLWDLL

Wolverhampton Wanderers Europa League form: WWWDWW
Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions): WLDDWW

Team News

After making his return from a hamstring injury against Norwich, Ruben Vinagre could feature at left wing-back for Wolves, handing a rest to Matt Doherty.

Max Kilman is likely to take the place of Willy Boly or Romain Saiss in defence, while Joao Moutinho may be handed a break from midfield duties.

Podence, Pedro Neto and Campana will all hope to start, with Nuno likely to be open to resting Jota and Raul Jimenez.

With Espanyol forward Raul De Tomas having missed a number of matches through injury, the January arrival is unlikely to be risked on Thursday.

Unless Abelardo decides to push for a miracle comeback, the starting lineup could resemble the one named at Molineux.

David Lopez is suspended at the weekend, meaning that the defensive-minded player could feature at the back.

Espanyol possible starting lineup:
D.Lopez; J.Lopez, Da.Lopez, Naldo, Pedrosa; Gomez, Iturraspe, Lozano, Vargas; Melendo, Ferreyra

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Saiss, Coady, Kilman; Jonny, Dendoncker, Neves, Vinagre; Neto, Campana, Podence

We say: Espanyol 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers

With Wolves expected to match Espanyol in making changes for this contest, we could see a more competitive encounter. However, one away goal from Wolves effectively ends the tie, and that may lead to more lapses of concentration at the back.