The big games keep coming thick and fast for Aston Villa and they follow up a midweek Battle of Britain with what should be a fiery Midlands derby against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It will be interesting to see if Wednesday night's Champions League clash with Celtic at Villa Park leads to a hangover at Molineux as Unai Emery's men bid to get back on track in the Premier League.
Villa have drawn their last two in the league against Arsenal and West Ham, with those stalemates leaving them four points off the pace in the chase for a top-four finish.
Emery will be desperate to secure a return to Europe's top table next season so he can't afford to drop points against a Wolves side who have tumbled back into the relegation places after a poor run of results.
The new manager bounce from Vitor Pereira's arrival now resembles a tennis ball that has been bitten by a Rottweiler, with the Molineux men losing their last four Premier League games.
Wolves are now just 2/1 in the betting for relegation but a derby win over Villa would be the perfect way to spark their season back to life.
How the bookies view it: Wolves still lacking bite
Despite being away from home and coming off the back of a big midweek Euro game, Aston Villa are 11/10 favourites with BoyleSports. Wolverhampton Wanderers are 23/10 outsiders and the draw pays 12/5.
Recent head to head: Nothing in it
This Midlands rivalry has been closely fought in recent years, with the last nine meetings producing three wins apiece and three draws. Aston Villa came out on top earlier in the season, with two late goals sealing a 3-1 win.
Players to watch: Cunha in the spotlight
Wolves talisman Matheus Cunha remains the subject of transfer speculation but Pereira will be desperate to keep him when the winter window closes next week. The Brazilian is 15/8 at BoyleSports for another goal while Bet365 price him at a decent 20/21 to either score or assist.
Emery will probably make a few changes after that clash against Celtic to freshen things up. New boy Donyell Malen could make his first start after a cameo off the bench last weekend and the former Dortmund forward is 11/4 at BoyleSports for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Wolves are without midfielder Joao Gomes after his red card against Arsenal while striker Jorgen Strand Larsen is also set to miss out after going off injured in that game. He joins Yerson Mosquera, Sasa Kalajdzic, Enso Gonzales and Boubacar Traore on the sidelines.
Tyrone Mings, Amadou Onana and Matty Cash are doubts for Aston Villa while Pau Torres and Ross Barkley are still out injured.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa, Doherty, Bueno, Agbadou, Ait-Nouri, Andre, Doyle, Semedo, Hwang, Cunha, Guedes.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Bogarde, Digne, Mings, Konsa, Tielemans, Kamara, Rogers, Ramsey, Malen, Duran.
Anything else catch the eye?
It ended in a 1-1 draw when Aston Villa last came to Molineux and I'm tempted by the stalemate again but it's safer going for the half-time draw at 6/5 with BoyleSports.
Nine yellows were flashed when these sides faced off at Villa Park earlier this season and the last derby at Molineux produced six yellows and one red. That suggests the referee will be busy again and over 47.5 booking points pays 5/6 at Betfred.
The odds are better on certain players going into the book and Tommy Doyle appeals at 11/2 with Bet365 as he could deputise for the banned Joao Gomes in the engine room.
Villa's defence has been looking a bit vulnerable of late so there could be some value in backing Wolves to score first at 5/4 with BoyleSports.
This English Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa will be played on Feb 1, 2025 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Aston Villa prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
