Wolverhampton vs Aston Villa Predictions

• Wolves have lost only one of their last seven home matches against Aston Villa
• Villa have failed to win any of their last six league games that directly followed a Champions League fixture
• Villa have won only one of their last seven Premier Lague away games

Villa struggling to deal with Euro hangovers

In a week of upheaval at B6, Aston Villa are uneasy favourites for Saturday’s huge Midlands derby against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.

Unai Emery’s side enjoyed a huge high on Wednesday when they beat Celtic 4-2 to ensure a place in the Champions League last-16 and that competition has opened up for them to plot a deep run.

The Villans Premier League form has suffered as a result of their European exploits with Emery’s side taking only three points from the last 18 on offer in matches that followed the big midweek games. Their overall away form recently has been disappointing too, which should give Wolves some hope of adding to their meagre points tally on Saturday.

Pereira’s reign has quickly lost it’s lustre

The Old Gold has lost its lustre this season and the shine has quickly worn off the good start that coach Vitor Pereira made when his side took seven points in his first three games in charge.

Four consecutive league defeats have plunged Wolves back into the bottom three and they can ill afford another home loss here. Pereira’s side are struggling to score at the moment and failed to turn their man advantage into anything tangible against Arsenal last weekend.

Jorgen Strand Larsen pulled up with an injury in the first half of that 1-0 reverse to the Gunners and is likely to be replaced by Hwang Hee Chan for this game. The South Korean scored in the corresponding fixture last season, a 1-1 draw, and could be the hosts’ main dangerman again because few others look like scoring right now.

Right-back area could be a problem for Villans

Pereira’s best hope is to build a solid platform and try to catch the visitors out in moments when their defenders fall asleep. Celtic did just that to storm back from a two-goal deficit on Wednesday night with Villa looking quite vulnerable in the full-back areas.

Matty Cash may be out after picking up an injury against the Scottish champions and young Lamare Bogarde looked a little lost when switched to right-back on his second Champions League start.

Wolves could profit if they target that flank, where Mateus Cunha and Rayan Ait Nouri are a formidable combination when on form. Wolves are so unused to winning right now that a 1-1 darw might be the best they could manage, but with Villa likely down a striker due to Jhon Duran’s imminent exit, it may be best to back the hosts not to lose.