| |
Match preview - Wolves vs. Aston Villa - Molineux faithful out for revenge
Wolves go into Saturday’s game against Aston Villa looking to register their first win against their Midlands rivals since 1980. Villa will be high on confidence after coming from behind to beat title contenders Chelsea 2-1 at the weekend. Wolves, in contrast, have not won in four and will be seeking to end that sequence in front of what promises to be a partisan Molineux crowd. These two sides have only met twice in the league in the past 25 years - both during Wolves’ ill fated top-flight sojourn in 2003/04 - do not however, expect unfamiliarity to have taken the sting out of this derby match. For Wolves supporters the 4-0 home drubbing they suffered in 2004, the last time the two sides met, will still be fresh in the memory and they will be eager to gain revenge on their rivals.
Wolves - Mick McCarthy was delighted with a perceived increase in his side’s self-belief in their performance at Everton where they were two minutes away from victory. He is likely to be looking for a repeat performance so expect the same starting line-up and 4-4-2 formation barring late injury concerns. For the trip to Goodison Park McCarthy made four changes from the previous week’s defeat against Portsmouth and he was delighted with the performances of two of those newcomers - debutant Ronald Zubar at right-back and at centre-back, Jody Craddock, McCarthy’s man of the match. Michael Mancienne was absent from Goodison due to illness but is unlikely to return to the starting line-up given the quality of Craddock’s performance. Last season’s star performers Michael Kightly and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake made their returns from injury at Everton and both should have done enough to retain their places assuming they remain fit.
1 Hennessey
23 Zubar - 16 Berra - 6 Craddock - 3 Elokobi
15 Halford - 8 Henry - 4 Edwards - 7 Kightly
9 Ebanks-Blake - 29 Doyle
Aston Villa - The lack of strength in depth which damaged Villa’s campaign last year is no longer a problem for Martin O’Neill’s side. In fact, the manager’s main worry is keeping all of his squad happy, something which he described this week as a “virtual impossibility” given that the likes of Emile Heskey, Habib Beye and Fabian Delph are all currently being kept out of the side. The quality of Villa’s performance against Chelsea should ensure that these players miss out on a starting place once again, with O’Neill generally reluctant to change a winning formula. Luke Young, returning from compassionate leave after the death of his half-brother, is likely to be the only change to the side, in place of Carlos Cuellar at right-back. Wilfred Bouma may return to the squad following a broken ankle, while Stewart Downing (broken metatarsal) and Curtis Davies (shoulder) are both still out of contention.
1 Friedel
2 L Young - 5 Dunne - 29 Collins - 25 Warnock
8 Milner - 19 Petrov - 4 Sidwell - 7 A Young
10 Carew - 11 Agbonlahor
Wolves desperately need to start picking up points and, given that their next three games see them travel to Stoke before taking on Arsenal and Chelsea, a win here is vital if they are to keep pace with the teams around them. The home side can be expected, therefore, to attack from the off, playing at a high intensity and hoping to get the crowd behind them early on. However this could suit Villa, who will be content to soak up pressure and hit their opponents on the break, utilising the pace of Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor. Wolves will be prepared for Villa’s well publicised danger at set plays, and it is vital they defend these properly if they are to gain anything from the game. Expect a competitive match with little to choose between the two sides, but Villa’s extra quality in the final third may prove to be the difference.
Match previews Liverpool vs. Manchester United
Chelsea vs. Blackburn
Wolves vs. Aston Villa
See the full list of OLBG's free Football Tips here.
Related Articles
| |