LONDON, April 24 (Reuters) - The last time Tottenham Hotspur played Wolverhampton Wanderers they were third in the Premier League table and victory would have lifted them to second.
On Saturday, they go to Molineux third from bottom with five games remaining and fighting for their top-flight lives.
Wolves have been bottom of the table all season and are already relegated but any notion that Tottenham will easily avoid equalling a new club record for a winless league run by rolling over Rob Edwards's team can be dismissed.
Tottenham required a stoppage-time equaliser in the 1-1 home draw in September and since then have dropped like a stone with manager Thomas Frank and his interim replacement Igor Tudor both sacked.
Winless in their last 15 league games, they will equal a club record dating back to the 1934-35 season if they do not beat Wolves and more importantly it would increase the possibility of a first top-flight relegation since 1977.
New manager Roberto De Zerbi will hope to earn his first win at Wolves, after a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland and last week's 2-2 draw at home with his former club Brighton and Hove Albion who equalised in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
West Ham United's 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Monday left Tottenham two points adrift of the safety zone and De Zerbi knows that victory on Saturday is vital.
"I don't want to put pressure but we have to know the situation, we can't forget the table and that we need to win, and maybe what we have done until now is not enough," De Zerbi said at his pre-match news conference.
"Even if we win at Wolves it's not finished yet anyway, there are four more games. But right now I think we deserve to win a game. We played a very good game against Brighton and were unlucky."
Tottenham will be without left back Destiny Udogie at Wolves because of a muscular problem while midfielder Pape Matar Sarr is unavailable with a shoulder problem.
Midfielder James Maddison, who has been out all season with an ACL injury, will again be on the bench but only for morale reasons, De Zerbi said.
"No, he's not available (to play) yet. Especially in this week, he felt pain but not so important pain.
"Tomorrow he will come on the bench because he's important whether he plays or not. Better he plays but as a leader and a guy, I want to see in my dressing room nice people, positive people."
Wolves were finally put out of their misery on Monday as West Ham's draw meant they are mathematically relegated to the Championship. But De Zerbi said they are dangerous.
"Their last three (home) games they drew with Arsenal and beat Aston Villa and Liverpool, they have nothing to lose," De Zerbi said.
For Tottenham fans, the club's recent record against Wolves makes uncomfortable reading. In the last six meetings Wolves have won on four occasions and drawn twice.
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Toby Davis)
