Wolves v Aston Villa: Premier League – live

Here’s a real hard-hitting question for you on a Friday night, what is your takeaway order for a night of hot Premier League action? Are you going traditional with fish and chips, succumbing to whichever pizza ad you see first or going in a different direction? Now I can’t stop thinking about chippy chips…

Another Villa fan has got a prediction, James Moriarty (not the fictional professor, one assumes):

I’m a Villa fan still recovering from the Sherwood-Remi Garde years, I am optimistic this could be the game to get the season back in course after this year’s wobble. I predict a nervy game with a late goal to win from Rogers/Abraham/Mings the Merciless.

I like the hedge to go with three names for potential late goalscorers! Any Wolves fans out there feeling optimistic?

Antony T has emailed in:

Great call on us being nervous. I’m hoping, like usual, I am completely wrong and to keep my mouth shut, so I’ll say Buendia is in the team based purely on that good goal v Spurs and the last min winner against Arsenal that were months ago – I’ve seen nothing since – and Ollie (he’s a Villa legend I won’t hear him being slagged off) but there are Labour MPs more confident than him right now. So yep prove me wrong lads. Buendia three assists for Ollie’s hat trick.

How do you lot see this one? There are clearly some jitters around Villa players and fans at the moment, perhaps because they know Wolves have a decent record against them at Molineux. That’s one of thise innate things you know as a fan, logically it shouldn’t have any bearing but it just does. Wolves have earned draws against Arsenal, Newcastle and Everton since the turn of the year, I wouldn’t bet against this one finishing all square either. Send me in your predictions via the email link at the top of the page.

So Unai Emery reacts to the draw with Leeds by making three changes to his Villa starting XI. Pau Torres, Lucas Digne and Jadon Sancho come in for Tyrone Mings, Ian Maatsen and Leon Bailey.

On the Wolves front, it’s Toti Gomes in for suspended Krejci and João Gomes in for Tolu Arokodare. Rodrigo Gomes and Angel Gomes are on the bench for Wolves so we could see four men named Gomes on the pitch at the same time tonight, what a prospect.

Wolves XI: Sá; Mosquera, Santi Bueno, Toti; Tchatchoua, Joao Gomes, Andre, Hugo Bueno; Bellegarde, Armstrong, Mané.
Subs: Johnstone, Doherty, Wolfe, Lima, Gomes, Olagunju, Gomes, Arokodare, Edozie.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Luiz; Sancho, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins.
Subs: Bizot, Lindelof, Maatsen, Mings, Bogarde, Barkley, Bailey, Abraham, Alysson.

Aston Villa fans are nervous about this one. Wolves have not lost at home against their Midlands rivals since 2020 and generally have a decent record in this fixture when it’s played at Molineux. After a slump in form Unai Emery’s side are no longer looking up the table and instead have a resurgent Manchester United breathing uncomfortably down their neck like an unwanted admirer on a sweaty dancefloor. With others in the hunt for Europe starting to appear in Villa’s rearview mirror, it is a bad time for the goals to have dried up, but that they have. Four goals in their last five games have been enough to earn one two draws, two defeats and one win.

Out of the FA Cup and handed a testing tie against Lille in the Europa League, the next month is going to be crucial in determining the outcome of Villa’s season. In theory this is exactly the kind of fixture they would want right now, a struggling opponent with one of the league’s worst defences, but Wolves will be up for this.

For Rob Edwards’ team, the rest of this season should be about creating enough of a platform to come straight back up. Edwards needs to find positivity in performances and get as many points on the board as possible, even if it all feels a little futile. Eight of their 10 points this season have been earned over the past 10 matches, which is encouraging. Emery said Villa’s win in the reverse fixture was one his team “didn’t deserve” in his pre-match briefing before the short trip to Wolverhampton, which is interesting motivational material to say the least.

Ross Barkley, Jadon Sancho and Tammy Abraham may come into the Villa side, who are missing John McGinn and Youri Tielemans, as well as Boubacar Kamara, who is done for the rest of the season. Hwang Hee-chan is missing for Wolves due to a calf problem and Ladislav Krejci is suspended.

January window arrival Angel Gomes could make a return to a starting XI where Mateus Mané, the eye-catching 18-year-old forward, will likely continue his run of starts.