Aston Villa will aim to continue the recent winning run when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Villa Park on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League returns to action this weekend with Gameweek 5. The latest round of fixtures will kick off with the game between West Ham United and Chelsea at the London Stadium before the action continues with six subsequent fixtures, including Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton Wanderers at Villa Park.
Aston Villa began the 2024/25 Premier League season with a narrow 2-1 win over West Ham United before succumbing to a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal. However, the Villans have been impressive since that loss, winning three successive games, including their UEFA Champions League opener against BSC Young Boys, cruising to a 3-0 victory.
On the other hand, Wolverhampton Wanderers have endured a frustrating 2024/25 campaign thus far. Gary O’Neil’s men have won only one of their six outings in all competitions this term, with that victory coming in the EFL Cup second round. However, the Black Country bowed out of the competition this week, losing 3-2 to Brighton & Hove Albion. In addition, their solitary point in four Premier League outings has left them in the 18th spot in the standings.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Unai Emery does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Aston Villa manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players vs Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Ollie Watkins had an injury scare after he had an ice pack on his ankle after going off against BSC Young Boys earlier this week. However, Emery allayed any fears surrounding the English striker, who will be fit and available to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, Tyrone Mings (knee), Matty Cash (hamstring), and Boubacar Kamara (knee) remain on the sidelines.
Emiliano Martinez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Wolverhampton Wanderers. The backline should feature Kosta Nedeljkovic, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, and Lucas Digne.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans in the double pivot. Jacob Ramsey should reprise the no. 10 role, with John McGinn and Morgan Rogers playing the supporting cast to Ollie Watkins, who will lead the line for Aston Villa against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Nedeljkovic, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Ramsey, Rogers; Watkins
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Unlike his counterpart in the Aston Villa dugout, Gary O’Neil has a new issue to deal with ahead of the trip to Villa Park. The Wolverhampton Wanderers manager will be without five first-team players on Saturday.
O’Neil has been sweating over the fitness of Toti Gomes (hamstring) and Yerson Mosquera (knock). However, the duo should be fit and available to take on Aston Villa on Saturday. Meanwhile, Rayan Ait-Nouri (ankle), Bastien Meupiyou (unspecified), Enso Gonzalez (knee), Boubacar Traore (knee), and Sasa Kalajdzic (knee) remain on the sidelines.
Sam Johnstone should take his spot between the sticks, with Wolverhampton Wanderers lining up in a 4-4-1-1 formation in front of him vs Aston Villa. The backline should feature Nelson Semedo, Yerson Mosquera, Santiago Bueno, and Toti Gomes.
As for the midfield unit, Joao Gomes will pair up with Mario Lemino, with the duo looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Rodrigo Gomes and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde will likely start in the wide areas, with Matheus Cunha and Jordan Strand Larsen completing the numbers in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Johnstone; Semedo, Mosquera, Bueno, Toti; Bellegarde, Lemina, Joao Gomes, Rodrigo Gomes; Cunha; Larsen
Key Stats
- Aston Villa beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 in the most recent league meeting in March last season. Only in their first two encounters in 2003/04 have the Villans won consecutive Premier League games against them. Wolverhampton Wanderers have only lost one of their last five away league games vs Aston Villa (D2 L2), although it was in the corresponding fixture in the 2023/24 campaign (0-2).
- Between March and Christmas 2023, Aston Villa conceded only eight goals in 16 Premier League home games (0.5 per game), never letting in more than once in a match during the period. Since then, they have conceded 26 goals in 12 ties at Villa Park (2.2 per match), conceding at least twice in ten outings (including each of the last four).
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have won only one of their 14 most recent Premier League games (D3 L10), and they are winless in seven (D1 L6) since a 2-1 win over Luton Town in April. This is their longest run without a victory since a run of 12 between April and August 2022. Since the start of March, they have lost more games than any other Premier League side (11). They have also won fewer games (2) and earned fewer points (9) than any other ever-present Premier League team in that time.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have conceded a league-high three Premier League goals from outside the box this season, including both strikes in their 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United last weekend.
- Ollie Watkins has been involved in seven goals in his six most recent Premier League home games for Aston Villa, scoring four and assisting three. Overall, he has 48 goal involvements at Villa Park (33 goals, 15 assists), second only to Gabriel Agbonlahor in the competition (49).
Player to Watch
Jhon Duran
Jhon Duran might not have been the first-choice starter for Aston Villa in the early days of the 2024/25 season, but he has made his mark thus far, scoring three goals in four Premier League outings.
The Colombian international has scored the winning goal in all three Premier League victories for Aston Villa this season, with each strike coming as a substitute. No player has scored four winning goals from the bench in a single campaign in Premier League history. So, history beckons Duran, who might set the record before the first quarter of the 2024/25 campaign ends.
Prediction
Aston Villa 3-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers are on the opposite ends of the spectrum in the Premier League. While the Villans are formidable at home, the visitors have struggled to remain solid at the back in the early days of the 2024/25 season.
So, the home side should run riot at Villa Park on Saturday, although they have also been vulnerable at the back. Wolverhampton Wanderers will thus have the opportunities to get past Emiliano Martinez. However, that might not be enough to get anything from the game, with The Hard Tackle predicting a 3-1 win for Unai Emery and his charges.