Seeking to remain on an upward curve, Aston Villa will look to put another three Premier League points on the board at the expense of Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon.
After making a slow start to the season, Unai Emery’s side have clicked into gear in recent months to win six of their last seven Premier League matches.
The most recent of those victories saw Villa come from behind to claim a 2-1 win over Leeds, bringing up each of my three Elland Road selections in the process.
The hosts have since kept the feel-good factor flowing by claiming a 2-1 win over Young Boys in the Europa League on Thursday evening.
In stark contrast, Wolves are marooned at the bottom of the table and still searching for their first win of the campaign, having come away empty-handed from 10 of their 12 matches of this season.
Ron Edwards discovered Wolves’ problems run deeper than former boss Vitor Pereira after kicking off his tenure with a 2-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace last weekend.
How the bookies view it: Villa set for another victory
Having won nine of their last 11 matches across all competitions, it’s no surprise to see that Aston Villa have been priced up as odds-on 1/2 favourites with bet365.
Wolves are massive 11/2 outsiders as they go in search of a maiden Premier League win of the season while a point apiece at Villa Park has been priced up at 10/3 with the same firm.
Head to head: Villa seeking three in a row
Aston Villa can perhaps draw some confidence from the fact that they have emerged victorious from each of their last two Premier League home games with Wolves, winning last season’s corresponding fixture 3-1.
Players to watch: Morgan to make his mark?
With three goals and two assists across his last seven Premier League appearances, Morgan Rogers represents value to register another goal involvement here at 4/5 with bet365.
Wolves will be hoping that talisman Jorgen Strand Larsen can help spark an upturn in form on Sunday afternoon. The Norwegian forward looks worthy of support to hit the target at least once during this all-Midlands affair at 5/6 with bet365.
Predicted line-ups
After opting for some squad rotation against Young Boys on Thursday, Villa boss Emery should revert back to his strongest starting XI on Sunday afternoon. The hosts will again be without injured defender Tyrone Mings.
Daniel Bentley, Leon Chiwone and Rodrigo Gomes remain out of contention for Wolves while defender Matt Doherty is unlikely to return in time for Sunday’s all-Midlands showdown.
Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins
Wolves: Johnstone; Tchatchoua, Agbadou, Krejci, T Gomes, Moller Wolfe; J Gomes, Andre, Munetsi; Strand Larsen, Arokodare
Anything else catch the eye?
Backing Aston Villa to win alongside over 1.5 goals will boost the odds about a home success to a more enticing 3/4 on bet365.
This would have been the right formula in five of Villa’s six Premier League victories this season.
It’s also worth noting that Villa have hit multiple goals in three of their four wins in this season’s Europa League.
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