Wolves vs Aston Villa Prediction

A floundering Wolves side look set to struggle on Saturday, as Aston Villa travel to Molineux in bid to keep up with the chasing pack for European football. Meanwhile, defeat would consolidate Wolves’ place in the relegation zone.

Villa come into this one on a high, having qualified for the Champions League last 16 automatically in midweek, finishing in the top eight side of the league phase, courtesy of a Morgan Rogers hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Celtic.

Contrastingly Wolves come into this game having failed to pick up three points since Boxing day, with Vitor Pereira’s side currently on a run of six league games without a win; five of these have been defeats.

As the game approaches, here is everything you need to know about both sides ahead of kick-off.

Key Statistics

• Wolves have scored just three goals in their last five games, the joint worst total in that time alongside Leicester City and Ipswich.
• They have also failed to keep a clean sheet since their last league win, a 2-0 win over Man United on Boxing day.
• Aston Villa seem to be rediscovering last season's form that saw them finish fourth, Losing just once since Boxing Day, and scoring 14 goals in that time.
• Sitting eighth, they are only four point outside fourth placed Man City, and a win here would pile pressure onto chasers Newcastle, Chelsea and Bournemouth

Wolves Preview

Wolves Predicted Lineup (3-4-2-1): Jose Sa (GK); Emmanuel Agbadou, Santiago Bueno, Matt Doherty; Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tommy Doyle, Andre, Nelson Semedo; Matheus Cunha, Pable Sarabia; Jorgen Strand Larsen.

After picking up seven points in their first three games under Vitor Periera, things quickly went into freefall for Wolves.

Conceding three goals against Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Newcastle, and losing narrowly to Arsenal last time out, Wolves returned to the relegation zone for the first time since mid-December.

Joao Gomes is (somewhat fortuitously) suspended for this one, after his controversial red-card against Arsenal, and injuries to five other first team players do not help Pereira’s cause. Unless Matheus Cunha can once again produce some Brazilian brilliance, it is hard to see Wolves taking anything from this game.

Aston Villa Preview

Aston Villa Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Emi Martinez (GK); Lucas Digne, Boubacar Kamara, Ezri Konsa, Andres Garcia; Youri Tielemans, John McGinn; Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Rogers, Leon Bailey; Ollie Watkins.

Sitting close to the top four in the Premier League, and qualifying automatically for the Champions League last 16, avoiding the play-off rounds, Unai Emery and Aston Villa will be very pleased with their progress over the last month or so.

It wasn’t an easy start to the season for the Villains. Sitting ninth for much of the last three months, and giving points away to the likes of Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, Villa seem to have become more focused in recent weeks, and seem to have hit a similar stride to last season.

They haven;t lost at Villa Park since October, and their ability to win by one goal over the last two months or so is testament to the winning mentality Emery has instilled at the club. Wolves is a winnable game for them, but they cannot afford complacency. They need to approach this game in the same way they approached Celtic on Wednesday; with hostility and without relent.

Wolves vs Aston Villa Head to Head

Recent Meetings:

• 21/09/2024: Aston Villa 3-0 Wolves.
• 30/03/2024: Aston Villa 2-0 Wolves.
• 08/10/2023: Wolves 1-1 Aston Villa.
• 06/05/2023: Wolves 1-0 Aston Villa.
• 04/01/2023: Aston Villa 1-1 Wolves.

Wolves vs Aston Villa Betting Tip

After the Man UTD win, Wolves slipped straight back into their old habits; over-reliance on Cunha, and careless defensive errors. To stand any chance of winning some points here, both need to change, but tigers can’t change their stripes, so we are backing an Aston Villa win here.

Wolves vs Aston Villa Final Prediction

Wolves 1-3 Aston Villa.

Despite reckless defence, Wolves almost always seem to score, and they could well net the first here. However, Villa are in too good a mood after their Champions league success to let that last for long, and will come back strongly to take all three points back to Birmingham.