Record breaking: More than half of Wolves' starting eleven to take on Huddersfield are Portuguese
Wolves have named a total of six Portuguese players in their starting eleven to face Huddersfield, a record breaking number of Portuguese nationals to start for one team in British footballing history.
It means that more than half of Wolves' starting eleven are Portuguese, a scarcely believable statistic and an illustration of how Portuguese players are now spreading across Europe to a level we've never seen before.
The previous record number of Portuguese starters in an English starting eleven was five, also set by Wolves, and in every fixture of this Premier League season.
Wolves' Portuguese starters today are current Portuguese internationals Rui Patricio and Ruben Neves, as well as Portugal's third most capped player in history João Moutinho and attacking duo Helder Costa and Ivan Cavaleiro, all of whom are regulars for Wolves.
The sixth player in the lineup is young leftback Ruben Vinagre who is given his first start in the Premier League courtesy of an injury to Wolves' first choice leftback Jonny.
His injury means that Vinagre, assuming he stays fit, is likely to start for Wolves at left wingback for the next 7 or 8 games over the busy Christmas period.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side currently occupy 11th in the league, knowing a win will see them move back into the top half of the Premier League table.
