Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Villa Park sets the stage for a Midlands derby between old Premier League foes Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Aston Villa made a victorious start to their first Champions League appearance since the 1980s, humbling Swiss champions Young Boys 3-0 away from home, only days after overhauling a 2-0 deficit in a stunning 3-2 home league triumph against Everton. Buoyed by three consecutive wins in all competitions, Unai Emery’s men head into proceedings in search of back-to-back home victories in the Premier League for the first time in 2024. On paper, they seem a decent value to do just that, but an underwhelming run of just one win across their five top-flight H2Hs at Villa Park since earning promotion in 2019 paints a bleak picture (W1, D2, L2). With four of those five meetings producing under 2.5 goals, it stands to reason the Midlands crowd cannot expect a high-scoring fixture.

However, action-packed games have been a common theme for Wolverhampton in the early stage of the season, with two of their last three league matches featuring over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet. Unfortunately for manager Gary O’Neil, his men were on the receiving end on both occasions, most recently slumping to a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle United. A change of scenery looks unlikely as Wolves are winless across their last eight Premier League outings outside Molineux (D3, L5), a run stretching back to the beginning of March. Amidst the club’s worst four-game start since gaining top-flight promotion in 2018, the visitors seek comfort in their decent-looking seven-game H2H form against Villa (W3, D3, L1).