Wolves welcome Aston Villa to Molineux in a blockbuster West Midlands derby.
With West Ham not in action until Sunday, Victory would see Wolves climb to seventh in the Premier League table.
Aston Villa meanwhile are looking to consolidate ninth with a win.
Team News
Raul Jimenez is suspended for Wolves after he was red carded in their dramatic 3-2 loss against Leeds just before March’s international break.
Ruben Neves (knee) is ruled out alongside Ki-Jana Hoever (hamstring) but Nelson Semedo (hamstring) and Pedro Neto (foot) face late fitness tests.
Villa could welcome Lucas Digne back from a hamstring injury which forced him to miss their defeat at home to Arsenal just before the international break.
Kortney Hause (abdominal) could also be in contention but Marvelous Nakamba (knee) remains absent.
Stat Attack
- Wolves have lost just one of their last five meetings against Aston Villa (W3, D1, L1).
- Villa are unbeaten in five of their last six Premier League visits to Molineux (W4, D1, L1).
- Both teams have scored each of their penalty kicks in 13 Premier League meetings, with Wolves netting their sole penalty and Villa netting their two spot-kicks.
- Wolves’ Raul Jimenez has been red carded in the Premier League on more occasions than any other international player this season, having been sent off twice in 28 league appearances.
- Villa have kept just one disciplinary clean sheet on the road this season – in a 2-1 loss at West Ham last month.
Prediction
After suffering a difficult defeat against Leeds last time out to dent their hopes of European qualification, Wolves surely will be eager for a reaction because they were clinically dominant until Jimenez was red carded yet their defence afterwards just collapsed in focus.
Aston Villa likewise suffered a tough defeat but against Arsenal although from their perspective, they were doing more defending than attacking in that match where just one error proved costly amidst several wasted chances after initially struggling to create attacking opportunities.
Now if Villa are able to attack more and Wolves are more focused defensively then I can see another feisty encounter, akin to the five-goal thriller at Villa Park in October which Wolves dramatically edged but I reckon a score draw could be the safest bet here.
Prediction: Wolves 2-2 Aston Villa
Result: Wolves 2-1 Aston Villa
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