There’s a West Midlands derby to enjoy in the Premier League on Saturday as Aston Villa welcome Wolves to Villa Park.
Villa enter the weekend’s bout having celebrated their Champions League return with a 3-0 win over Young Boys in the Swiss capital on Tuesday night. Unai Emery’s side initially struggled to settle on the unfamiliar artificial turf, but they grew into the contest and dominated their hosts after Youri Tielemans handed them a first-half lead.
Their only blemish on the domestic front was a 2-0 defeat at home to Arsenal on Matchday 2 – a game they certainly wouldn’t have lost had Ollie Watkins been in 2023/24 form. The Villans have won three out of four games and fought back from 2-0 down to beat Everton last weekend.
Villa’s West Midlands rivals have endured a poor start to the season heading into Saturday’s derby and the pressure may be starting to ramp up on Gary O’Neil. Wolves have notched just one point from their opening four games and exited the Carabao Cup in midweek as they were beaten 3-2 by Brighton at the Amex.
Here is 90min’s guide to Aston Villa’s Premier League clash against Wolves.
Emery took no chances with winger Leon Bailey on the artificial turf in midweek but the Jamaica international could be back in action this weekend.
There are some concerns over the status of Ollie Watkins, who was pictured with ice strapped to his ankle after coming off in Bern on Tuesday. However, Emery assured supporters that nothing is wrong with the Villa forward and he should be okay to start on Saturday – even with Jhon Duran waiting in the wings.
The hosts, though, are still without long-term absentees Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara. Matty Cash and Robin Olsen are also out.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Wolves (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Nedeljkovic, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Ramsey, Rogers; Watkins.
O’Neil rang the changes for Wolves’ Carabao Cup defeat at Brighton on Wednesday night and the visitors’ heavy hitters should all return to the XI on Saturday. Joao Gomes, meanwhile, will retain his place in midfield.
An ankle injury sustained in last Sunday’s loss to Newcastle means star wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri is unlikely to feature at Villa Park, with Craig Dawson set to miss out, too. Toti Gomes will return to the fold after recovering from a hamstring injury, but Wolves will not be able to call upon Sasa Kalajdzic, Enso Gonzalez and Boubacar Traore this weekend.
Jose Sa’s struggles continued in midweek, so Sam Johnstone should get the nod between the sticks.
Wolves predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-4-1-1): Johnstone; Semedo, Mosquera, Bueno, Toti; Bellegarde, J. Gomes, Lemina, R. Gomes; Cunha; Larsen.
Wolves’ recent run in this fixture will inspire some hope within the visitors that they’re capable of walking away with a result, but it does seem like a tough ask.
While O’Neil’s side should offer a couple of tactical queries, they’re once again without a couple of key players which will reduce their threat and hinder their dynamics. Ait-Nouri’s likely absence is huge.
Villa were able to cruise on Tuesday night, so fatigue shouldn’t be too much of an issue, and the hosts should be able to ride a wave of positive momentum throughout the upcoming derby while strolling to a routine victory on home soil.
