Nasser Djiga's 1.62 and 65% stats show why he should start for Wolves vs Preston North End

Wolverhampton Wanderers go into their match against Preston North End already in crisis.

The club have picked up another two injuries, with Yerson Mosquera and Kieran Trippier both being ruled out for between four and six weeks.

This is no doubt a massive blow for Cesar Peixoto, with his backline already looking shaky before the injuries took place.

Now, against Preston, he is forced into changes, with the replacement for Mosquera set to spark a huge debate.

Santiago Bueno or Ladislav Krejci are yet to feature under Peixoto, potentially due to their links away this transfer window.

However, the manager should not fear bringing Nasser Djiga straight into the starting XI for Preston, with the defender more than capable of handling himself.

How good is Nasser Djiga?

Djiga has been a forgotten man at Wolves in recent months.

After struggling to break into the first team in the latter half of the 2024-25 campaign, he was loaned out to Rangers last season.

Despite a poor start at the Old Firm club, the 23-year-old eventually proved himself and was eventually had an excellent campaign.

Since returning to Wolves, Peixoto has utilised him, and he came off the bench in the 3-0 victory against Port Vale in the Carabao Cup.

This is of little surprise when you examine his stats in the Scottish Premiership last season.

According to Fotmob on 20 August, the defender averaged 4.71 duels won with a 65 per cent success rate, 1.52 tackles, 1.62 interceptions, 4.89 recoveries and 0.32 clean sheets per 90 minutes.

Therefore, based on these stats, Wolves should not fear throwing him into the starting XI to replace Mosquera against a side expected to be fighting relegation this season.

What are Wolves’ odds of beating Preston?

According to Opta on 20 August, Wolves are the overwhelming favourites to beat Preston on Saturday.

The club has a 52.3 per cent chance of coming away with three points, compared to just the hosts’ 23.1 per cent chance.

A win would no doubt ease the pressure on Peixoto after a terrible performance against Blackburn, which sparked doubts about his management skills.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if Wolves are capable of coming away with a win at Deepdale.