Who will win the mid-table duel in England?

Aston Villa and Wolverhampton both definitely have quality in their squads but are in a situation of change. The hosts have lost one of their most important players in Grealish and are just trying to find their feet a little. However, their first impressions in the new season have been quite decent.

In the run-up to the Aston Villa v Wolverhampton match, the betting odds point to a slight favourite status for the home side. Aston Villa have home advantage on their side and are at least just ahead of Wolves in the table.

The team from Birmingham naturally wants to defend this advantage in the table. The Wolves are to be defeated with a good performance. Whether they can do that will be seen on Saturday from 4pm, when the game kicks off at Villa Park.

Aston Villa – Statistics & current form

Aston Villa is an exciting team and has shown very decent approaches so far in the new season. It is currently enough for a place in midfield and that is also the table region in which this team sees itself overall this season. Home games like the one against Wolves are a perfect opportunity to prove themselves. Because these are the opponents the Birmingham club should be beating by now with their self-image, especially at home.

However, Aston Villa have only won one of their last seven home games against Wolves. This record should now be improved, that is the clear goal of the team. Just before the international break, coach Dean Smith’s team held their own at Tottenham but came away with nothing. Villa lost 2-1 to Spurs, but the game was still a positive one.

Especially because the hosts are still in a kind of finding phase and not all newcomers are perfectly acclimatised yet. Nevertheless, ahead of the Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton match, the odds indicate slight favouritism for the hosts.

Aston Villa: compactness and efficiency as means

Lately, Aston Villa operated with a three-man backline and more defensively oriented wing-backs. That has paid off as the hosts have already played to nil on three occasions this season, including against teams like Everton and Manchester United. However, four points from the clashes with Newcastle and Brentford, when Aston Villa played in an attacking 4-3-3, underline their flexibility.

Against Wolves, it is quite possible that a hybrid of both systems will be on the pitch. The defensive backs could return, but a midfielder like Buendia may also play as an additional creative option to liven up the attack. Either way, Aston Villa have plenty of options and can also add from the bench.

In any case, both teams would like to see basic stability on the field. Therefore, before the match Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton, our prediction is that less than 2.5 goals will be scored

Predicted Aston Villa line-up:
Martinez – Mings, Konsa, Hause – Cash, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Targett, Buendia – Traore, Watkins

Last matches played by Aston Villa:

Wolverhampton – Statistics & current form

It’s still not really clear what Wolverhampton stand for this season. The team is actually relatively decent offensively, but inefficient. There are plenty of chances, but few goals. At least there has been an upward trend recently and Wolves have won three of their last four games. That is as many wins as in the 16 games in the Premier League before.

But that is not enough to make them favourites for the game at Villa Park. There are still too many imponderables with the visitors. Coach Bruno Lage stands for compactness, but this is sometimes at the expense of the offensive. Wolverhampton, who have not even drawn this season, have not scored in four of their seven games.

It is also worth pointing out that in only one of Wolves’ seven games did both teams score. Therefore, ahead of the Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton match, our value tip is also that not both will score.

Wolverhampton want to overtake Aston Villa

So the big spectacle is not to be expected from the guests. But that is not really necessary, because their own defence works very well. Five goals conceded in seven games is a fantastic value on which everything else can be gradually built.

With a win, Wolves could move past Aston Villa in the table and that is of course the goal for this game. The team will not deviate from the typical basic virtues like compactness and a lot of work against the ball.

As both teams put a lot of emphasis on good defensive play, our tip before the Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton match is that less than 2.5 goals will be scored.

Predicted Wolverhampton line-up:
Jose Sa – Semedo, Coady, Boly, Saiss, Ait Nouri – Ruben Neves, Dendoncker, Moutinho – Adama, Jimenez

Last matches played by Wolverhampton:

Aston Villa – Wolverhampton Direct comparison / H2H balance

125 times these two teams have met in their history. Aston Villa have the advantage with 54 wins in competitive matches, while Wolves, for their part, stand at 41 games won. There has been plenty of variety in recent years. Both teams won 1-0 and 2-1 once each recently, with the last game ending 0-0.

Aston Villa – Wolverhampton Tip

Two good defences face each other in a direct duel. Wolverhampton will be looking to upset Aston Villa, but the hosts are, after all, unbeaten in five home games. The game could be especially interesting after the change of ends, as both have scored 80% of their goals in the second half.

Generally speaking, both want to be good defensively and are rather stingy with goals offensively. Therefore, before the match between Aston Villa and Wolverhampton, our tip is that the total will be less than 2.5 goals.