Preview: Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

On a mission to extend their Villa Park winning run and pile more misery on a West Midlands rival, Aston Villa clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The Villans picked up a solid success at Leeds United last time out in the league, whereas the Wanderers were defeated once again, this time at the hands of top-four chasing Crystal Palace in the Black Country.

Match preview

After a six-game winless run across all competitions at the beginning of the 2025-26 season, Aston Villa are back to somewhere near their best under the expert tutelage of Unai Emery, whose side have won five matches on the spin as November draws to a close.

The Villans latest victims arrived in the form of Swiss powerhouses Young Boys in the league phase of the Europa League on Thursday night, when Dutchman Donyell Malen notched up his 11th and 12th goals in the competition to seal a 2-1 victory for the hosts at Villa Park.

Aiming to make it eight straight triumphs at their Second City base this weekend, Villa are currently occupying a highly-respectable fourth position in the Premier League standings ahead of Sunday's visit of crisis-hit Wolves, although Emery's troops are just three points above Liverpool in 12th.

As alluded to above, the Villans are enjoying an exceptional run of form at Villa Park and last tasted defeat at the venue to bogey side Crystal Palace on August 31, with only league leaders Arsenal (5) and Manchester City (5) picking up more home wins so far this term.

England international and Thomas Tuchel favourite Morgan Rogers continues to be a shining light for the hosts after bagging a match-winning brace in the success at Leeds last weekend, whilst Emiliano Buendia has made a commendable comeback to the forefront of Emery's plans after a loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen last season.

After eight years of brushing shoulders with the elite of English football following a barnstorming Championship promotion campaign in 2017-18, it appears as if Wolves' time as a Premier League club is approaching its end, despite a recent managerial change.

A former player at both Molineux and Villa Park during the early 2000s, Rob Edwards left his football 'family' at Middlesbrough and jumped at the opportunity to steer a sinking ship in the West Midlands, where the Wanderers will seek their first top-flight win of the term at the 13th attempt on Sunday afternoon.

At the 12-game mark, the Black Country outfit are clutching onto two points and sit a mammoth nine points adrift of safety in the Premier League table, enduring the third-worst start to a season in English top-flight history.

A single point and a single goal have been enjoyed by the success-starved Wolves faithful across six Premier League away matches to date, with the Wanderers forcing a share of the spoils at Tottenham Hotspur in late September.

Edwards's side are winless from each of their last three visits to Villa Park (D1 L2), with their most recent triumph at the Second City venue coming back in October 2021, when Ruben Neves netted a 95th-minute winner versus Dean Smith's Villans.

Aston Villa Premier League form:

W W W L W W

Aston Villa form (all competitions):

W L W W W W

Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:

D L L L L L

Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions):

L L L L L L

Team News

Aston Villa boss Emery revealed an injury blow in his pre-match press conference, with Tyrone Mings expected to be sidelined for another month because of his ongoing hamstring issue.

As a result, the likes of Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres have little competition for a spot in the backline of the Villans ahead of this weekend's clash.

After his goalscoring antics in the Europa League, Malen is pushing hard for a Premier League berth, but the hosts could bring Buendia back into the XI.

Wolves are running short on choices in their goalkeeping department, with Dan Bentley spotted in a protective boot as he recovers from a serious ankle injury.

The visitors' defensive options are reduced further by the absence of Matt Doherty, who is back in first-team training following a knee injury but is unlikely to be risked on Sunday.

A willing runner at wing-back, Rodrigo Gomes is unavailable until after the New Year following surgery on a groin problem.

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Johnstone; Tchatchoua, Agbadou, Krejci, T Gomes, Moller Wolfe; J Gomes, Andre, Munetsi; Strand Larsen, Arokodare

We say: Aston Villa 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Unbeaten at Villa Park since late August, Aston Villa should be confident of swatting basement dwellers Wolves aside on Sunday afternoon.

That being said, the visitors are likely to rise to the occasion of a West Midlands derby, but we still believe that the result will fall in favour of the Villans.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.