ESPN’s Game of the Week: Wolves v Aston Villa

By Taylor Fisher | 23rd October 2009

ESPN's Game of the Week: Wolves v Aston Villa | read this item

Wolves will host Aston Villa this week at the Molineux this Saturday on ESPN2 (for all of you US viewers) in what should prove to be a hard fought match between two local rivals. This big derby match-up will aim to please a near-capacity crowd that will be flooding into the Molineux.

Wolves

Team News:

Manager Mick McCarthy will be hoping his team shuts down Richard Dunne as he tried to sign him over the summer. He can only hope his failure won’t come back to bite him.
Wolves fitness and conditioning coach Tony Daley will be facing his former club, where he played for nine seasons. No love will be lost should Wolves walk away with a victory.
Striker Chris Iwelumo is hoping to return to the lineup from an injury he sustained in their first preseason game.
Stefan Maierhofer is suspended for the match after receiving a red card just minutes after being subbed into last week’s match against Everton.

Wolves Form:

Wolves currently sit in 16th place in the Premier League, but a victory on Saturday could push them as high up as 11th.
Goals have been hard to come by at home, where they have only found the back of the net three times over four matches.
Momentum will be key, as they will need some going into their match next weekend when they travel to The Britannia where Stoke is nearly unbeatable.

Key Man: Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. Ever since he moved to Wolves from Plymouth in 2008, Ebanks-Blake has been the epitome of a goal scoring machine. Well this machine is in need of some fuel, because he has yet to find the back of the net even once this season. Since joining the squad, Ebanks-Blake has amassed 37 goals in 62 total appearances. That has yet to be seen this season, and Villa can only hope Saturday’s match will not be where he finds that spark.

Aston Villa

Team News:

Manager Martin O’Neill is looking to send fire up his club’s shorts after proclaiming “I don’t think we’re good enough to treat people lightly.”
O’Neill also stated that there are currently zero injury concerns going into the match on Saturday, which is a bad sign for Wolves.
Yet more news from the boss after criticism about his talented winger, Ashley Young: “He’s one of the best wingers in Europe.” Villa can only hope that shows through this weekend.

Aston Villa Form:

Villa come into this match with 13 points out of a possible 18 points in their last 6 matches – second only to Manchester United, who have 16.
Defender Richard Dunne has scored goals in two straight matches. Can the former Manchester City captain keep it up?
Aston Villa currently find themselves in 6th place in the Premier League. A win against Wolves could boost them as high as 3rd.

Key Man: Ashley Young. Nobody on the Aston Villa roster has contributed less to their current success than Young. With one goal thus far, Young has looked anything but stellar this season. The flashy, quick runs, and cut-ins that we were so accustomed to seeing last season are a distant memory, as Young has become more apt to dribble the ball into the corner and quickly lose possession. What better way to change his fortunes around than by stepping up big in a derby match?

Prediction

I can see this being a very exciting match for all involved. Villa have just come off their huge victory against Chelsea last weekend and they will look to improve on a stellar performance. Wolves haven’t looked too bad themselves, as they are coming off a hard fought 1-1 draw at Goodison Park against Everton last Saturday. I can see both team finding the score sheet, but Aston Villa have been the far superior team this week. Granted that it’s at the Molineux, I’ll give Aston Villa a close 2-1 win.