Wolverhampton Wanderers will be eager to put right their wrongs as they take on local rivals Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon. Looking to all but ensure Premier League survival with a win, Wanderers will have to show a huge improvement from the 6-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
Villa, meanwhile, need to get a victory on the board to keep their European qualification dreams alive following a narrow 1-0 loss against Manchester United last time out. Unai Emery’s side had been on fire until that point, with eight wins and two draws in the 10 games prior to the trip to Old Trafford.
There’s definitely more at stake for this weekend’s clash than just points as it’s a local rivalry. Although not the biggest grudge match in the Midlands, plenty of pride will go to whichever team ends up on top. The reverse fixture saw the points shared in a 1-1 stalemate at Villa Park, so both sides will be particularly keen to get one over on the other.
Julen Lopetegui is likely to change plenty of his players after so many mistakes during their embarrassing defeat at the Amex Stadium. It was a 4-4-2 that day but we reckon the Spaniard will change things slightly to offer more stability at the base of midfield. With that in mind, here is our predicted XI for Saturday’s game.
1. Wolverhampton Wanderers predicted starting lineup vs Aston Villa
Here are the 11 players we think Lopetegui will field against the Villans.
2. GK - Daniel Bentley
Our controversial call, we think Bentley has a genuine chance at starting following a dreadful performance from Jose Sa at Brighton.
3. RB - Nelson Semedo
Went off with a knock at the Amex Stadium but has to play if he’s fit. An off day last Saturday for everyone but Semedo has played consistently well.
4. CB - Craig Dawson
An experienced head in defence that will no doubt be needed to turn things back in the right direction for Wolves.