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30 min It’s hammering it down in Wolverhampton and everything just looks a bit soggy. Not much happening and not a lot quality either. Misplaced passes, cheap fouls and stop-start action.
It’s nice to know you’re appreciated, thanks Peter Oh:
It’s the lunch hour here in California. I don’t have this match available to view, so your coverage is all I’ve got. Simon Rigby might be interested to know that I haven’t got any pizza in the freezer but I might try drinking soup from a straw so I don’t have to take my eyes off your blog.
26 min Light groans from the Wolves fans as their team gets a bit of possession in midfield before working it backward and being forced to kick long.
23 min If there’s a pattern so far in this game it’s Wolves playing their way into trouble. Again they lose the ball near their own box and this time it leads to a left-footed Rogers shot that Sá is able to save.
21 min Sancho looks lively. He may not have hit the heights of time at Dortmund, but there have been signs of the player who had everyone so excited a few years ago.
17 min Now it’s the turn of Douglas Luiz to miss when well-placed. Sancho does well on the right and delivers a wonderful cross to pick out his teammate just inside the box. Douglas Luiz gets good contact but his low volley is straight at José Sá.
16 min Andre slips at the worst time and Rogers gets a chance to bustle his way into the box. Credit to Andre as he gets back to hook the ball away and then shows nice feet to get it clear.
14 min Toti should do better with that. The defender is not the man you want coming on to strike a knockdown header first time but that is what occurs from Wolves’ looping free-kick into the box. The defender doesn’t get clean contact and the chance goes wide.
12 min Cash v Mané is going to be a fun battle. The youngster goes at the Villa defender and wins a free-kick. Cash holds up the taking of the free-kick and that winds up the Wolves faithful.
Dave Estherby (via email) says I’m asking the wrong question on takeaways:
Nevermind WHAT to order, WHEN is far more important; EATING WHILST THE GAME IS ON??
Sorry, that’s just madness.
1/2/5 (delete as appropriate) pints of your favourite during the match THEN it’s time for refuelling.
Quite partial to a dirty doner myself...
7 min Another Villa chance! From the corner after the Watkins’ chance, Pau Torres has a free header six yards out but completely miscues. From the second corner it bobbles around the goulmouth before being hacked clear.
6 min First big chance comes the way of Watkins, it’s an opportunity that looks ideal for him as he’s played in to run on to it but the striker hesitates then tries to take it with the outside of his football and Mosquera gets over cover.
4 min Just as the Sky commentary turns to Jackson Tchatchoua’s incredible pace but cripplingly low confidence, the Wolves wing-back declines the opportunity to run into space and then misplaces his pass. Head up, Jackson.
2 min Early chance for Wolves to have a shot at goal as Buendia barges over Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde 30 yards out. It’s dead straight and Mateus Mané is over it. The youngster’s effort has Emi Martínez scrambling but it whips past the outside of the post on the bounce.
Peeeeeeep!
Wolves kick us off and we are underway at Molineux.
We’ve had the fancy light show and now the teams are heading out.
Unai Emery has been speaking to Sky Sports pre-match:
We are ready, we are focused. We are aware of how we must compete today. We need to be focussed tactically too, they [Wolves] have a very tactical coach in Rob Edwards.
We are definitely expecting a competitive match. Wolves are playing fresh at the moment, despite being at the bottom of the table. They are playing tactically offensive and individually in defence also. They are a demanding team for their opponent. We are ready but we expect a difficult match.
Emery also says the reason Mings is not in the starting XI is because he has “a niggle”.
I love it when you get a very detailed response to a simple question. Simon Rigby has emailed in:
A lot of thought has to go into a takeaway order for the football. You don’t want something that is going to be a distraction to your viewing experience. So noodle dishes or similar are out as they require concentration. In fact you can rule out anything Asian as far as I’m concerned, it’s too fussy for this situation. I want to be able to shovel in while keeping my eyes up, which means I also swerve the chippy. Curry has a good short-distance range, but for me it’s pizza. Make sure it’s pre-cut and then it only requires a but of hand-eye to get it from box to mouth.
This is truly top stuff. Thank you, Simon.
We have a Wolves prediction! Paul Haynes has emailed in:
I’m an optimistic Wolves fan. I think we will lose by less than a three goal margin.
You love to see it.
Here’s a real hard-hitting question for you on a Friday night, what is your takeaway order for a night of hot Premier League action? Are you going traditional with fish and chips, succumbing to whichever pizza ad you see first or going in a different direction? Now I can’t stop thinking about chippy chips…
Another Villa fan has got a prediction, James Moriarty (not the fictional professor, one assumes):
I’m a Villa fan still recovering from the Sherwood-Remi Garde years, I am optimistic this could be the game to get the season back in course after this year’s wobble. I predict a nervy game with a late goal to win from Rogers/Abraham/Mings the Merciless.
I like the hedge to go with three names for potential late goalscorers! Any Wolves fans out there feeling optimistic?
Antony T has emailed in:
Great call on us being nervous. I’m hoping, like usual, I am completely wrong and to keep my mouth shut, so I’ll say Buendia is in the team based purely on that good goal v Spurs and the last min winner against Arsenal that were months ago - I’ve seen nothing since - and Ollie (he’s a Villa legend I won’t hear him being slagged off) but there are Labour MPs more confident than him right now. So yep prove me wrong lads. Buendia three assists for Ollie’s hat trick.
How do you lot see this one? There are clearly some jitters around Villa players and fans at the moment, perhaps because they know Wolves have a decent record against them at Molineux. That’s one of thise innate things you know as a fan, logically it shouldn’t have any bearing but it just does. Wolves have earned draws against Arsenal, Newcastle and Everton since the turn of the year, I wouldn’t bet against this one finishing all square either. Send me in your predictions via the email link at the top of the page.
So Unai Emery reacts to the draw with Leeds by making three changes to his Villa starting XI. Pau Torres, Lucas Digne and Jadon Sancho come in for Tyrone Mings, Ian Maatsen and Leon Bailey.
On the Wolves front, it’s Toti Gomes in for suspended Krejci and João Gomes in for Tolu Arokodare. Rodrigo Gomes and Angel Gomes are on the bench for Wolves so we could see four men named Gomes on the pitch at the same time tonight, what a prospect.
Team news
Wolves XI: Sá; Mosquera, Santi Bueno, Toti; Tchatchoua, Joao Gomes, Andre, Hugo Bueno; Bellegarde, Armstrong, Mané.
Subs: Johnstone, Doherty, Wolfe, Lima, Gomes, Olagunju, Gomes, Arokodare, Edozie.
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Luiz; Sancho, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins.
Subs: Bizot, Lindelof, Maatsen, Mings, Bogarde, Barkley, Bailey, Abraham, Alysson.
Preamble
Aston Villa fans are nervous about this one. Wolves have not lost at home against their Midlands rivals since 2020 and generally have a decent record in this fixture when it’s played at Molineux. After a slump in form Unai Emery’s side are no longer looking up the table and instead have a resurgent Manchester United breathing uncomfortably down their neck like an unwanted admirer on a sweaty dancefloor. With others in the hunt for Europe starting to appear in Villa’s rearview mirror, it is a bad time for the goals to have dried up, but that they have. Four goals in their last five games have been enough to earn one two draws, two defeats and one win.
Out of the FA Cup and handed a testing tie against Lille in the Europa League, the next month is going to be crucial in determining the outcome of Villa’s season. In theory this is exactly the kind of fixture they would want right now, a struggling opponent with one of the league’s worst defences, but Wolves will be up for this.
For Rob Edwards’ team, the rest of this season should be about creating enough of a platform to come straight back up. Edwards needs to find positivity in performances and get as many points on the board as possible, even if it all feels a little futile. Eight of their 10 points this season have been earned over the past 10 matches, which is encouraging. Emery said Villa’s win in the reverse fixture was one his team “didn’t deserve” in his pre-match briefing before the short trip to Wolverhampton, which is interesting motivational material to say the least.
Ross Barkley, Jadon Sancho and Tammy Abraham may come into the Villa side, who are missing John McGinn and Youri Tielemans, as well as Boubacar Kamara, who is done for the rest of the season. Hwang Hee-chan is missing for Wolves due to a calf problem and Ladislav Krejci is suspended.
January window arrival Angel Gomes could make a return to a starting XI where Mateus Mané, the eye-catching 18-year-old forward, will likely continue his run of starts.
