Aston Villa Vs Wolves
Aston Villa Vs Wolves Saturday, 16 October 2021 – 15:00 (BST)
English Premier League
Pick: Draw
Odds: 11/5
Bookmaker: WilliamHill
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 13 October 2021)
Preview: At Villa Park on Sunday, Aston Villa resume their search for a first Premier League home goal versus Wolves – who in turn have the opportunity to register a third successive away win to nil in the competition, a feat they last achieved in 1960 – in more than a decade.
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Table of Contents
Aston Villa – Villa Park providing strong vibes?
Ten points from their opening seven league games is probably about par for this Aston Villa side and is one more than upcoming opponents Wolves, who sit two places beneath them in the table, have on the board. A 1-0 victory at Old Trafford has been the undoubted highlight so far, but the consummate ease with which they brushed aside Everton in their latest home outing, winning 3-0, cannot have been far behind.
Villa last strung consecutive home league wins together in the same season at the very beginning of last term, combining a gritty 1-0 victory against Sheffield United by putting seven past then defending champions Liverpool. Jack Grealish was instrumental but has since moved on. Hat-trick hero Ollie Watkins remains and will be buoyed by grabbing his first goal of the season in the recent 2-1 loss to Spurs.
Dean Smith will naturally want an improved display from that in North London, where his team were second best for considerable periods against a host at a low ebb. Playing at Villa Park this weekend should help. Villa have taken seven of nine points from three Premier League home games so far this season, and going back into the previous term are five unbeaten (W3 D2) in front of the Claret & Blue Army.
Wolves – Lage’s men to pick up where they left off?
The first international break of 2021-22 arguably came to the rescue of Wolves who, after opening with a string of 1-0 defeats, regrouped and subsequently won three of the next four league games against Newcastle, Southampton and Watford. They return to action having climbed several places, into 12th, despite despite a worse goal return (5) than all barring rock-bottom Norwich City.
Wolves weren’t particularly strong travellers last term either. Only four sides – three of them went on to be relegated – averaged fewer points away from home than the 1.05 put up under Nuno Espirito Santo. This has already risen to 2 under new manager Bruno Lage, whose team can become the first Wolves outfit in more than sixty years to win three consecutive away top-flight fixtures without conceding on Saturday.
Villa Park has also served them well over the years. It is the shortest trip on the calendar, which probably helps, but Wolves can take a lot of confidence from a run of one defeat in seven away to Aston Villa in the league. They’re unbeaten in this fixture in the Premier League, meanwhile, since 2003 having navigated the last four such matches here without so much as conceding a goal (W2 D2).
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Aston Villa Vs Wolves Betting Advice
The October break will have felt like a mini reprieve for Dean Smith, whose Aston Villa team weren’t quite at the races in the 2-1 loss away to Tottenham last time. The positive, however, was Ollie Watkins getting back amongst the goals after missing the start of the campaign through injury. He isn’t the only forward on display at Villa Park this weekend to have rediscovered their scoring touch recently, however.
Aston Villa Vs Wolves – Key Facts:
- Just the two goals were scored across the previous four Premier League meetings at Villa Park, where Wolves are unbeaten in this fixture since 2003 (W2 D3).
- Aston Villa have conceded one goal in three home league games this season, which is an identical record to that of Wolves who are seeking a third straight away win to nil.
- Another record these teams share is their preference for netting in the second half, with both teams scoring 80% of their goals this season after the half-time interval.
Raul Jimenez also needed time before finding form but now has three goal involvements in his last two league appearances. Ironically, I suspect both could be kept quiet by defences boasting identical home and away defensive records this season (one conceded in three games). Should both sides remain true to form then, we could be in store for another cagey installment of this fixture (0-1 in 2019/20, 0-0 in 2020/21).
Best Betting Odds – Aston Villa Vs Wolves
Aston Villa – 23/20 (PaddyPower)
Draw – 9/4 (Betfair)
Wolves – 13/5 (WilliamHill)
