Warrington Wolves welcome Salford Red Devils as they look to bounce back following their 38-12 defeat against St Helens last week. Here’s everything you need to know.
TEAM FORM GUIDE
Warrington Wolves
Coming into the Easter weekend, Steve Price’s men sit second, with eight wins and two losses. Last time out, they lost to local rivals St Helens 38-12. However, when they tasted defeat at the beginning of March, the Wire won the next game 24-10 against Castleford, so Salford will need to bring their A-game for this.
Salford Red Devils
Salford come into this off a 76-6 win in the cup against Rochdale. However, their last league outing ended in a 16-23 defeat at the hands of Hull FC. Currently sitting seventh, the Reds have won four and lost six but are right in amongst the pack.
SQUAD NEWS
Warrington Wolves
Steve Price has made at two change to his side, with Tom Lineham dropping out due to suspension and Danny Walker, who misses out the 19. Bryson Goodwin returns from a injury and Ben Westwood is back following a four match suspension.
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Warrington 19-man squad: Atkins, Austin, Charnley, D. Clark, J. Clark, Cooper, Currie, Davies, Goodwin, Hill, Hughes, King, Livett, Murdoch-Masila, Patton, Philbin, Ratchford, Tasi, Westwood
Salford Red Devils
Ian Watson makes one change to his squad. Ed Chamberlain is ruled out after suffering a serious injury last time out, so Dan Murray comes in.
Salford 19-man squad: Evalds, Welham, Sa’u, Bibby, Lui, Wood, Dudson, Jones, Griffin, Flanagan, Lussick, Walker, Burke, McCarthy, Nakubuwai, Murray, Olpherts, Inu, Hastings
HEAD TO HEAD
The last meeting between these two sides was a 30-14 win for the Wolves. In the last five meetings between these two sides, Warrington have won three and Salford two, with the Red Devils last win coming back in 2017, when they won 12-38 at the Halliwell Jones. However, the Wire are on a two game winning streak against their A57 rivals.
There are three former Red Devils in the Wolves squad: Ben Murdoch-Masila, Lama Tasi and Stefan Ratchford.
KEY BATTLE
Ben Currie (Warrington Wolves) v Josh Jones (Salford Red Devils)
In the Wolves corner is Ben Currie. Following his return from his injury, the second rower has settled back into the Wires starting line up with ease. He has been a key player in recent weeks, especially in defence. A powerhouse, the 24-year-old will be looking to continue to be an all-round player and find the ways to break through the Salford defence and stop the Devils attack.
For Salford is Josh Jones. The 25-year-old second-rower has an impressive way to make holes in a defensive line. The utility forward will be looking to cause confusion and run tough lines. He can have the biggest impact if he isn’t kept quiet.
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THE IMPORTANT DETAILS
Date: Friday 19 April
Venue: The Halliwell Jones Stadium
Kick-off: 3pm
Referee: Gareth Hewer
WHO WILL WIN?
I think it will be a comfortable Warrington win although Salford do have Jackson Hastings, Robert Lui and Josh Jones. I just think that Steve Price will make sure his side will come out to prove a point. Warrington to win by 18-24 points.
