Lincoln City's Leaky Defence Faces a Wolves Side With Something to Prove

This is a match between a side that cannot defend and a side that cannot quite make up its mind. Lincoln City host Wolves at 12:30 on Saturday 28 November, and the thing is, there is only one team here with a serious problem to solve before kick-off.

Lincoln City: The Basics Are Broken

Listen, one win from five in the Championship is bad enough. Fourteen goals conceded across those five matches is unacceptable. Lincoln have not kept a single clean sheet in that sample. Not one. That is not a run of bad luck. That is a defensive unit that has stopped competing.

The numbers tell you what your eyes already know. West Ham United put six past Lincoln in one sitting. Sheffield United put three past them without reply. Even their win, a 4-1 result against Burnley, tells you something. They can score. They cannot stop the other team scoring. That combination gets you relegated. End of.

They drew 2-2 with Millwall and lost 1-2 to Swansea. Only once did they manage to outscore their opponents across that five-match window. The clean sheet percentage sits at zero. I do not need anyone to explain that to me. Standards have slipped badly and accountability has to start somewhere inside that dressing room.

Wolves: Inconsistent But Not Without Quality

Wolves come in at two wins, one draw and two losses from their last five Championship matches. That is not a crisis. It is a side finding its level. The concern for them is the two defeats sandwiching that form period. Bolton Wanderers beat Wolves 3-1, and Middlesbrough beat them 1-0. Those are not results from a side in full command of where they are going.

The positives are real though. Wolves beat Burnley 2-1, which tells you they can compete against sides with genuine quality. They also beat Watford 1-0 in their most recent outing. That win shows some defensive discipline. One clean sheet from five is not enough, but it is one more than Lincoln have managed. They drew 1-1 with Portsmouth in between. Mixed, but not alarming.

The thing is, a trip to a side conceding goals at Lincoln's current rate should be exactly the kind of fixture Wolves use to steady themselves. If they cannot take advantage of a defence this open, that is a problem in itself.

The Key Battleground

Both sides have seen both teams score in three of their last five matches, sitting at sixty percent each for BTTS. Goals are likely here. Lincoln cannot keep the ball out and Wolves have shown they can find the net. The question is whether Wolves have enough defensive concentration to protect whatever lead they might build.

Lincoln's attack showed what it can do against Burnley. Four goals in a home win is not nothing. Do not completely write off their ability to cause problems going forward. But the question is simple. Can Lincoln keep anything resembling a back line together for ninety minutes? On recent evidence, no.

The Verdict

Wolves are the more composed side. Their form is inconsistent but functional. Lincoln are leaking goals at a rate that should concern everyone connected to the club. Desire and attitude have to be questioned when you concede fourteen in five. That is not about the opposition. That is about your own standards.

Wolves to win. Back it with conviction and keep it simple.