Wolves vs Aston Villa – Preview, Lineups, Score Prediction
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Fixture: Wolves vs Aston Villa
Competition: Premier League
Kick-off: 27th February, 20:00 UK time
Wolves welcome Aston Villa to Molineux tonight in the Premier League for a clash which could be a thrilling affair under the lights.
Rob Edwards men need to give at least something back to Wolves’ fans amid them being forced to endure one the worst seasons in the club’s history.
Now 28 games into the league season, Edwards’ team keep searching for just their second win of the season and are on the verge of getting relegated from the Premier League.
It will be a massive setback for a club that last played Championship football back in 2018. Despite the sustained difficulties over the last few years, Wolves have managed to retain their top-flight status, but now the mountain just looks too steep to climb.
The match against Aston Villa tonight appears to be a mere formality more than anything else. There is a gulf in class between the two teams as the league table suggests. The Villans are trying to secure their place in the top four to ensure Champions League football next season, while Wolves try to play for pride.
Yet another source of motivation for the home players is the chance to show possible suitors in the summer that they are better than what the league table suggests. It will help them secure better moves when relegation turns into a reality.
Unai Emery will give them no special discounts, though. He is already expected to have got into the heads of the Aston Villa players following the come-from-behind draw against Leeds United last weekend and will want a response to stop Manchester United from gaining on them.
Does it mean that the fans in attendance inside Molineux are in for one-way traffic throughout the night? All possibilities hint at that but football is a strange game and miracles do happen. Edwards will definitely hope that such is the case tonight.
Predicted Lineups
Recent Form (league)
Wolves: LDDLL
Aston Villa: DWDLW
Key Men
Wolves
Since Wolves are about to take on one of Premier League’s juggernauts, Edwards could revert to a back-four instead of the usual back-three. It was the case against Chelsea and could be again against Aston Villa.
The change could be suggestive of the approach they take to counter the Aston Villa threat. For their plan to become successful, a lot would depend on their four defenders, none more than their 27-year-old defender Santiago Bueno.
The Uruguayan has stood through the various difficult periods for the club and remains a dedicated professional. His efforts in stopping attacks have been noteworthy. Standing at six feet three inches, he can be a physical presence inside the box and can put his body on the line to stop shots.
Hugo Bueno is expected to keep his place beside the 27-year-old and offer pace going forward. In a low-scoring Wolves team. Bueno has maintained an impressive 2.66 xA, showing that he is perfectly capable of helping the team in attack.
He can also offer pace going forward and tracking back and can be a huge asset for the team in their fight.
Aston Villa
The visiting team will definitely head to Molineux smelling blood and will go for the kill. They have points to add to their total and no stone will be left unturned to get the desired result.
Morgan Rogers, just like the predictions from the last game, could hold the key. He already has 13 goal contributions to his name and also has an impressive 136 touches inside the opposition box this season.
Even if he is not directly involved with goals, he can create them, which is what the manager wants.
Tammy Abraham has hit the ground running since making his move back to England. He found his first Premier League goal for the Villans against Leeds United and got approval from former Leeds United star Michael Bridges.
The Chelsea academy graduate does not merely have height as his primary advantage but can also build play from deep.
Against a confidence-lacking Wolves side, Abraham could have the best possible opportunity to add to his tally.
Match Prediction
Despite the gulf in class between the two teams in the Premier League, there are some aspects of the game where the two teams find themselves closer to each other.
Aston Villa, for example have a rather low xG (33.57) compared to some of the other Premier League teams. From that aspect they are closer to Wolves, who have an xG of 25.40.
As such, Emery’s team should head into the game while taking nothing for granted. They will have to keep working towards improving their attacking prowess and make sure that they give Sa not a moment of peace.
For the home team, success will be on their ability to dig deep and stop the shots from going in. They will then pass the ball on to their full-backs to orchestrate their attack and hit them on the break.
Things could get interesting if the deadlock is not broken until late into the game. However, Aston Villa should still have enough to get the match over the line.
Inside Futbol Score Prediction
Wolves 0-2 Aston Villa
Where To Watch?
Wolves vs Aston Villa will be available to watch live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League with a kick-off time of 20:00 UK time.
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