Vitor Pereira makes brutally honest Wolves admission ahead of Leeds United

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Vitor Pereira has described Saturday’s home game with Leeds United as ‘very important’ and stressed the need for his players to show a united front if they want to rack up their first win of the season.

The Molineux club have endured a difficult start to the Premier League season and head into Saturday’s game looking to secure their first points of the campaign after falling to defeats against Manchester City, AFC Bournemouth, Everton and Newcastle United over the course of the first month of the season. The latter of those losses did provide some positivity for Pereira and his players as they produced a positive performance at St James Park before falling to a single goal scored by Magpies record signing Nick Woltemade on his debut for the club.

Despite their slow start, the mood at Wolves remains a positive one and Pereira has benefitted after he was given a major show of support by the Molineux hierarchy when he put pen-to-paper on a new contract this week. The Portuguese boss accepted results on the pitch are what are required now as he looks to lead his side to a win that would kickstart their season and put pressure on Daniel Farke’s Leeds.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, the Wolves boss said: “For us, tomorrow is a day that is very important. Metaphorically, when a wolf is in pain, and is suffering, this is the time for the pack to be united and to show the strength of the pack. This is the spirit I want to see tomorrow on the pitch and outside the pitch, because we need points. We need to get points to play with confidence.

“For sure, it’ll be a tough game, but thinking about us and looking for our team, tomorrow is a good chance for us to show our work, to show the improvement that we made this week, the ambition, the character, the mentality – everything. Tomorrow is a very important game for us. Very important. We are not in the middle of the season, we are not in the end of the season, but in the beginning, it is important to get points because I don't want to be in the zone that we are now, and in the position that we are now.”

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Pereira is hoping to receive a massive boost ahead of the game as key striker Jorgen Strand-Larsen closes in on a return to fitness after failing to appear since a 3-2 win against West Ham United in a Carabao Cup tie last month. The Norway international has reportedly agreed a new five-year deal with the club after a summer dominated by speculation he was on Newcastle United’s radar as the Magpies looked to find a replacement for Liverpool-bound Alexander Isak. Pereira believes Strand-Larsen will be in his squad for the meeting with the Whites - but remains unsure whether the powerful frontman will be able to feature for 90 minutes.

He said: “He’s had just one training with the team yesterday, but I hope tomorrow he can help us. Of course, not for the 90 minutes, but for some period in the game. This is the information that I have from the medical department.”

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