A Midland derby with implications for both sides. Aston Villa are in a realistic position to challenge for the Premier League title, but Wolverhampton Wanderers are certainly already eliminated.
Mathematically, Rob Edwards’ side are not out of the woods yet, but time is running out to salvage what has been one of the worst seasons in top flight history.
To be fair to Edwards, Wolves have become more organized under his leadership, but it feels like the damage was already done in the first half of the season when Vitor Pereira was still at Molineux.
Still, Old Gold have proven they are up for a fight, especially in their final home game on February 18, when they came from behind 2-0 against first-placed Arsenal to draw 2-2.
last meeting
The last time these two teams met was in early November, when Unai Emery’s side defeated Wolves 1-0 with a goal from Boubacar Kamara.
However, Villa have struggled at Molineux in recent years. The Wolves are undefeated in their last two home games.
Last season, Pereira’s side defeated the Villains 2-0 at home. This time Jean-Richner Bellegarde and Matheus Cunha were on the scoresheet.
The visiting side will undoubtedly be favorites given Wolves’ low position in the table, but Emery will need to find a way to improve his task. They have won just one of their last five games in all competitions.
Wolves’ recent Premier League results
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Aston Villa’s recent Premier League results
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Wolves vs Aston Villa team and injury news
The Wolves’ health status is almost clean, but Hwang Hee-chan is the only one who has doubts about this. That being said, they will need to find a replacement for the suspended Ladislav Krejci.
The defender picked up two yellow cards in the last game against Crystal Palace and was sent off for kicking the ball away.
For Villa, the situation is even trickier from an injury perspective, as they are still without three key players in John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Kamara.
That being said, there was a positive update regarding McGinn. Although he will not be fit for this match, it has been confirmed that the Scottish midfielder is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a knee injury that required surgery.
Expected line-up for Wolves vs Aston Villa
wolf:Sa;Chackoa, Mosquera, Santi Bueno, Toti Gomez, Hugo Bueno. Andre, Angel Gomez, Mane. Armstrong, Arrocodea.
Edwards’ biggest selection dilemma for Friday’s game will be who to replace the suspended Krejci. Captain Toti Gomez is likely to return to the team.
However, it does come with some risk, given he has only just returned to the match-day squad following an injury sustained against Crystal Palace last weekend.
Another change is that Angel Gomez, who missed out on the starting lineup last time, could be substituted in place of Bellegarde.
Aston Villa: Martinez. Cash, Konsa, Mings, Masen. Onana, Lewis. Sancho, Rodgers, Buendia, Watkins.
Considering the injury problems, there aren’t that many changes Emery can make to the team. Ian Maassen is expected to retain his former position at left-back, ahead of Lucas Digne, while Leon Bailey could drop in favor of Jadon Sancho.
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