Wolves vs Aston Villa preview: Team news, lineups, prediction
Aston Villa have the chance to move to within seven points of league leaders Arsenal – and bolster their top-five aspirations – by beating Wolves at Molineux on Friday.
Unai Emery’s side have faltered in recent weeks, although they currently have a six-point cushion over sixth-placed Liverpool with 11 games to go.
Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Leeds was a missed opportunity to close in on Arsenal, but Unai Emery will be solely focused on ensuring his side qualifies for next year’s Champions League by finishing in the top five.
Wolves are up next for Villa, who are aiming to secure their fourth away win in all competitions in 2026.
Villa News highlights everything you need to know ahead of Friday’s match.
Preview
Wolves have been bottom of the table all season long, and although Rob Edwards has overseen some positive change, his side looks nailed on for relegation.
They have only won once all season, and their total of 10 points is abysmal after 28 games.
Wolves’ last outing ended in heartbreak, with Villa loanee Evann Guessand scoring the winner against them for Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Prior to the Leeds draw, Villa had beaten Brighton, drawn with Bournemouth and lost to Brentford in their last three league games.
It’s clear that they are on a mixed run of form, but securing a second win of the campaign over Wolves would definitely get them back on track.
Form guide
Wolves (last six games all comps): L D W L L D
Aston Villa (last six games all comps): D L W D L W
Head-to-head
The sides’ last meeting in November saw the Villans win 1-0 thanks to Boubacar Kamara’s fantastic goal from long range.
Should Villa win at Molineux, they would complete the Premier League double over Wolves for the first time since 2003-04.
However, they haven’t won there since December 2020, which shows how hard this tie has proved to be in the past.
Overall, Villa have beaten Wolves 59 times, lost 45 meetings and drawn 32 matches.
Not only do Villa hold the edge over the hosts in all-time history, but it’s clear that they are faring much better at the moment.
Team news and predicted lineups
John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Kamara are all still sidelined with long-term issues, although the Scotland international could return to action in three weeks’ time.
Andres Garcia has also sustained a hamstring injury in training on Tuesday, with it being a recurrence of the same issue he suffered at the start of the season.
Tammy Abraham could start over Ollie Watkins, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Tyrone Mings drop out of the side for Pau Torres.
Jadon Sancho could return to the side, and Alysson might be named on the bench after missing the last couple of weeks with a knock.
Wolves predicted XI: Sa; Mosquera, S. Bueno, Toti, Tchatchoua, Bellegarde, Andre, H. Bueno; Armstrong, Arokodare, Mane
Aston Villa predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Luiz; Sancho, Buendia, Rogers; Abraham
How I predict Wolves vs Aston Villa to finish
Despite their recent struggles at Villa Park, the Villans have been fairly impressive away from home in all competitions.
Given the fact that Wolves have been so poor all season, anything but a win for Emery’s side will be unforgivable.
With Abraham fit and firing, Villa have a lot of attacking threat, and Wolves’ defence might not be able to handle the likes of Morgan Rogers and Jadon Sancho out wide.
Therefore, a comfortable 2-0 win is the most likely outcome. If it does happen, then the fans will be thrilled at getting one over their West Midlands rivals.
For even more Aston Villa news and updates, head over to Football Insider.