🔥Wolves v Aston Villa🔥

Halfy delivers more match thread mayhem for the masses, you’re lucky to have me guys

Live @ https://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewLiveArticle/414698
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Wolves central defender Ryan Bennett could start against Villa after making his return from a groin injury as a late substitute on Thursday.

Morgan Gibbs-White has a lingering back problem and is a fitness doubt.

Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish is still feeling pain in his calf and is rated 50-50 to be involved on Sunday.

Frederic Guilbert should overcome a dead leg to keep his place, but Jota won't be considered despite returning to training after hernia surgery.

Wolves on brink of reaching Europa League knockout stage
Police officer charged with murder of ex-Villa forward Atkinson
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES

Martin Fisher: Little should be read into Villa's recent EFL Cup win as both teams played shadow sides. The Premier League is a different matter.

Wolves are unbeaten in their last six but have drawn too many games to see that reflected in the table. Maybe that's a consequence of their Europa League exertions?

With the notable exception of a 5-1 win at Norwich, Villa have struggled on the road. However, their record in the Premier League at Molineux is excellent.

Traditionally this isn't the biggest West Midlands derby on the calendar but, with Albion and Blues still in the Championship, surely for local bragging rights it IS the biggest this season.

VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT

Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo: "It's a big game, here at Molineux, a big derby. We are going to be ready for it.

"We played [Villa] already - we know about it already. We are the same people, we know what it means."

Aston Villa head coach Dean Smith on Wolves: "They're very tough to beat, they've got great organisation and structure. They've got players who can score goals having gone to Manchester City and won, gone to Arsenal and equalised to come away with a point...so they'll feel they're in a run of form.

"People look from the outside and think 'is the amount of games they're playing going to catch up with them?' We're hopeful that is does on Sunday."

LAWRO'S PREDICTION

You know the drill threadsters

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

Villa are unbeaten in nine top-flight away games against Wolves since a 3-1 defeat in May 1978 (W6, D3).
It is Wolves' longest top-flight winless run at home against a single opponent.
A much-changed Villa beat a youthful Wolves in a League Cup tie on 30th October. Villa haven't won twice in a season against Wolves since 2003-04.
Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves could remain unbeaten in seven successive top-flight fixtures for the first time since March to April 1974 (W3, D4).
They came from 1-0 down to draw 1-1 in each of their past three league games. The last team to draw four top-flight games 1-1 in a row were Spurs in April 2008.
Wolves have scored in 10 consecutive top-flight fixtures for the first time since 1972.
They have scored a league-high 86% of their goals in the second half of games.
Raul Jimenez is poised to become the second Mexican player to make 50 Premier League appearances, emulating Javier Hernandez.
Adama Traore made 10 Premier League appearances for Aston Villa in 2015-16, all as a substitute. Villa drew one and lost nine of those matches.
Aston Villa

They could suffer three straight league defeats in the same season for the first time since a run of five in February 2017.
Villa have the joint-best first-half record in the division, with the equivalent of 22 points. Wolves are equal bottom with a record that would only give them seven points.
Fifteen of the 18 goals conceded by Villa this season have come after half-time.
They've dropped 11 points from winning positions, more than any other side prior to the weekend.
Aston Villa have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 12 Premier League away fixtures since a 0-0 draw at West Brom in January 2016.