Aston Villa must overcome Wolves hurdle as they look to transform season again
It has been a rough ride for Aston Villa as of late, and there is a big hurdle to overcome on Friday.
A late equaliser from Tammy Abraham secured a 1-1 draw at Villa Park against Leeds on Saturday, though Unai Emery’s side missed another big chance to get back to form after winning just three times in 2026.
With matches against Chelsea and Manchester United coming either side of the international break, the race for a Champions League spot is well and truly heating up.
Before welcoming Chelsea to the Midlands on 4 March, though, Villa make the short trip to Molineux to face bottom-dwellers Wolves.
On paper, it looks relatively simple. But those associated with Aston Villa know that a banana skin awaits on Friday, and they simply have to tread carefully if they are to return to form.
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Aston Villa’s strange Molineux hoodoo
21 January 2012 – the date that Villa last won at their neighbours’ stomping ground with supporters present.
Since then, across both the Championship and Premier League, Wolves away has proven a sticky trip for Villa, no matter the contrasting situations at the respective clubs.
Aston Villa’s results at Molineux since 2011-12:
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Aston Villa – 2016-17 (Championship)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 Aston Villa – 2017-18 (Championship)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Aston Villa – 2019-20 (Premier League)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Aston Villa – 2020-21 (Premier League)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Aston Villa – 2021-22 (Premier League)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Aston Villa – 2022-23 (Premier League)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Aston Villa – 2023-24 (Premier League)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 Aston Villa – 2024-25 (Premier League)
Even at the height of their powers under Emery, the fixture has proven tough, with goals from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Matheus Cunha sealing a 2-0 win against the Villans just over a year ago, as Wolves scraped for survival under Vitor Pereira.
With Wolves all but relegated from the top-flight having picked up just 10 points from 28 matches, it would be a matter of fate that the result to lift them above Derby’s 11-point record would come against Villa.
If Villa are to get back to form in the coming weeks, a win at Molineux would make a big statement.
Aston Villa have to use Wolves clash as a springboard
Despite Wolves’ precarious position at the bottom of the league, Villa need to make the short trip across the Midlands worthwhile, having stalled once again versus Leeds.
More dropped points at Molineux would leave both Manchester United and Chelsea breathing down the necks of Emery’s side, ahead of clashes against the pair either side of the March international break.
Alongside the quest for Champions League football, Villa are one of the favourites to lift the Europa League in May – momentum picked up domestically will only benefit Emery’s side with this in mind.
The record against Wolves has to be ignored, and Villa have to enter Friday’s clash with confidence, knowing that they are indeed firm favourites against a side with a hapless record this term.
A Boubacar Kamara goal secured a 1-0 win against their rivals in November, a second would be huge for the upcoming run, while securing the first league double over Wolves since the 2003-04 term.
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