Totti Gomes says Wolves have a deep squad and competition is fierce, so no player is guaranteed a starting spot. He hopes to earn his chance to play again in this week's Premier League away game against Sunderland.  

The Wolves captain missed the Brighton game through illness and was on the bench for last week's away game against Tottenham Hotspur, with manager Vitor Pereira opting to pair Ladislav Krejci and Santi Bueno at centre-back.  

However, the defender will make his first visit to the Stadium of Light on Saturday, and Totti Gomes has expressed his determination to regain his starting spot. He admitted that with most of his teammates on international duty, preparations at the Compton base over the past few weeks have been particularly difficult.  

Totti Gomes said: "I am much better now. I caught the flu before, which was a bit unexpected, but this situation is common in this season. It doesn't feel good to miss training and games because of illness and only be able to watch the team's performance at home. But now I have recovered well and am ready to contribute to the team when the coach needs me."  

“The international break came at the perfect time for me, giving me enough time to recover. Even though most of my teammates were away, I kept training and even kept up my form at home. This period helped me adjust well, and now I feel really good.”  

Talking about the training situation during the international match days, Totti Gomes said: "Training during this period is indeed not easy, because there are only six or seven players left in the team, and the personnel are relatively short. But from a positive perspective, this is actually a good thing. It shows that our players are recognized by their respective national teams, which is also a kind of affirmation for the team."  

"Obviously, the training methods during this period are different and the coaching staff also need to manage it in a different way. Due to the smaller number of people, we are able to communicate more closely with the coaching staff and have the opportunity to discuss some more specific content with the head coach, which makes the training more detailed."  

“We have been training with the U21 team and they have given us a lot of support in training. We also played a friendly match with them last Saturday, which was very exciting. This arrangement allows us to maintain our match fitness and also get enough rest and recovery after continuous training.”  

Regarding the situation of many players on the team traveling with the national team, Totti Gomes said: "Due to the absence of some players, this week's preparations are indeed facing challenges. When they return to the team, it is very close to the start of the game. Some of them have experienced long-distance flights from South America, Africa or Asia, so it is inevitable that they will be a little tired."  

"It's certainly difficult for the head coach to be fully prepared for the next game because several players will still be absent. But I'm confident that when the game starts, everyone will be in good shape and ready to go."  

“I hope all the players can return to the team on time so that we can start preparing for the game against Sunderland as soon as possible. Some players may arrive a little later than usual and their physical condition may be affected due to the fatigue of the journey. But as long as the whole team is gathered, we can focus on preparing for the game against this strong opponent.”  

Talking about this weekend's match against Sunderland, Totti Gomes said: "This will undoubtedly be a new challenge. This is my first time against them and you can never predict what will happen in the game. After all, the opponents are players I have never played against before, and the playing surface is also new to me."  

"But that's the charm of the English league, you always have the opportunity to play against a team with such a rich history and tradition. We know this game will be very difficult, but we will give our all and strive to get three points."