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

Molineux will play host to a West Midlands derby on Friday evening, with top-four hopefuls Aston Villa heading to basement side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Villa are currently third in the Premier League table, three points ahead of fourth-placed Manchester United, while Wolves are bottom, 17 points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.

Match preview

Wolves will enter Friday's contest off the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, with Evann Guessand netting the only goal of the match in the final exchanges, but it was another positive performance from the team rooted to the bottom of the division.

Rob Edwards' side held league leaders Arsenal to a 2-2 draw in their last game at Molineux on February 18, but the fact that they have only won one Premier League fixture all season tells the story, with the team surely heading down to the Championship for next season.

Wolves have a record of one win, seven draws and 20 defeats from their 28 matches, with 10 points leaving them at the foot of the division, 17 points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, so only a minor miracle will prevent them from being relegated.

Finding the back of the net has been a major issue for Wolves this term, netting just 18 times in 28 matches, but there have certainly been signs of recent improvement.

Wolves have also been victorious in four of their last six home Premier League games against Villa and are unbeaten since a 1-0 reverse in December 2020.

Villa, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Leeds United; Unai Emery's side came close to suffering a shock home defeat, only for Tammy Abraham to register a leveller in the 88th minute.

It has not been plain sailing for Villa of late, with the team winning just one of their last five matches in all competitions, while they have just one victory from their last four league games.

Emery's side remain third in the table, but they are only three points clear of fourth-placed Man United and six ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea and sixth-placed Liverpool, so there is still a lot of work to do when it comes to Champions League qualification for next season.

Villa have the third-best away record in the Premier League this season, picking up 22 points from 13 matches, and they will be taking on a Wolves side with the worst home record in the division.

The visitors are looking to complete a league double over Wolves for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign, and this match is even more important considering that their next two in England's top flight are against Chelsea and Man United.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:

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Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions):

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Aston Villa Premier League form:

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Aston Villa form (all competitions):

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Team News

Wolves will again be without the services of Hwang Hee-chan due to a calf problem, while Ladislav Krejci is suspended after being sent off against Palace.

The absence of Krejci will open the door for Toti to come into the side on Friday night.

Angel Gomes may also be introduced into the team in a forward area, while the in-demand Mateus Mane, who is being tracked by a number of major clubs, will also continue in the XI.

As for Villa, Youri Tielemans (ankle), John McGinn (knee), Boubacar Kamara (knee) and Harvey Elliott (unspecified) are absent, while Alysson is a major doubt due to a knock.

Abraham came off the bench to score the leveller against Leeds last time out, but Ollie Watkins is set to continue as the centre-forward at Molineux.

Ross Barkley and Jadon Sancho both made positive impressions off the bench against Leeds, but it is unlikely that either will start, with Leon Bailey in line for another spot down the right.

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sa; Mosquera, S Bueno, Toti; Tchatchoua, Bellegarde, Andre, H Bueno; A Gomes, Armstrong, Mane

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Onana, Luiz; Bailey, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins

We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Aston Villa

This is a really tough match to call, as Villa are not in full flow, and they will be coming up against a Wolves side that are showing improvement at this stage of the season. However, we are expecting the visitors to navigate their way to an important three points on Friday night.

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