Wolverhampton Wanderers host Aston Villa at Molineux on Friday evening in the Premier League, with both teams having recently drawn or lost narrow matches. Wolves sit 17 points from safety with 10 games left, while third-placed Villa seek to move two points behind second-placed Manchester City. Unai Emery has warned that the fixture feels like a derby despite Wolves' position.
The match kicks off at 20:00 GMT, with live coverage on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, and Sky Sports Ultra in the UK.
Wolves come into the game following a 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace five days ago, where they played with 10 men after Ladislav Krejci's sending off. On-loan Girona defender Krejci remains suspended. Hee Chan Hwang has returned to training after injury but is unavailable, and Enso Gonzalez is out with a long-term knee problem. Toti Gomes and Joao Gomes start, with Tolu Arokodare on the bench.
Wolves' starting XI: Jose Sa, Yerson Mosquera, Santiago Bueno, Toti Gomes, Jackson Tchatchoua, Joao Gomes, Andre, Hugo Bueno, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Adam Armstrong, Mateus Mane.
Substitutes: Sam Johnstone, Matt Doherty, David Moller Wolfe, Tolu Arokodare, Pedro Lima, Rodrigo Gomes, Angel Gomes, Saheed Olagunju, Tom Edozie.
Aston Villa drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United a day earlier and are 10 points behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand. They make three changes: Pau Torres, Lucas Digne, and Jadon Sancho start in place of Tyrone Mings, Ian Maatsen, and Leon Bailey. Goalkeeper Marco Bizot returns to the bench after suspension, joined by winger Alysson, who could appear for the first time since his February 11 debut against Brighton & Hove Albion. John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, and Boubacar Kamara remain sidelined.
Villa's starting XI: Emiliano Martinez, Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne, Jadon Sancho, Amadou Onana, Morgan Rogers, Douglas Luiz, Emiliano Buendia, Ollie Watkins.
Substitutes: Marco Bizot, Victor Lindelof, Tyrone Mings, Ross Barkley, Tammy Abraham, Ian Maatsen, Lamare Bogarde, Leon Bailey, Alysson.
Historically, Wolves have won four of their last six Premier League home games against Villa, unbeaten in four since a 1-0 loss in December 2020. Villa have won three of the last four meetings overall and seek a league double for the first time since 2003/04. Wolves have failed to score in a league-high 15 games this season and no player has more than two goals.
Emery remains wary, recalling a recent 1-0 Villa win at home to Wolves. "We didn’t deserve to win," he said via Villa’s website. "[Wolves] performed fantastically." He added that Wolves drew with Arsenal recently and lost late to Palace with 10 men, deserving more. "Everything we have analysed about them makes this not an easy match… we can feel it as a derby."
