Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa will be eager to return to winning ways when they lock horns at Molineux on Friday.

The 2025/26 Premier League season resumes this week with Gameweek 28. Friday will deliver only one game, as Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Aston Villa at Molineux features two teams desperate to return to winning ways and clinch three points to get their campaigns back on track.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have endured a horrific 2025/26 Premier League campaign, having managed only ten points in 28 outings thus far. The Black Country outfit would have hoped to have won more than one game with ten matches left in the season, and relegation is almost certain unless something changes drastically in the coming months. Nevertheless, Rob Edwards has had a positive effect on his squad, setting them up for automatic promotion next term.

On the other hand, Aston Villa’s title hopes continued to fade last week, as they left it late to hold Leeds United to a 1-1 draw. Unai Emery’s men have now won only one of their last four Premier League games, falling ten points behind Arsenal. More crucially, the Villans are only six points ahead of sixth-placed Liverpool, leaving them in a spot of bother in the top-four race.

The corresponding fixture ended in a hard-fought 1-0 win for Aston Villa, with Boubacar Kamara scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Rob Edwards has a new roster issue to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach will be bereft of the services of three first-team players vs Aston Villa on Friday.

Ladislav Krejci is the latest absentee after being sent off in the Premier League game against Crystal Palace last weekend. The Czech defender accompanies Enzo Gonzalez Medina (knee) on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Hwang Hee-chan (calf) faces a late fitness test to determine his availability.

Jose Sa is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Wolverhampton Wanderers lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Aston Villa on Friday. The central defensive unit will feature Yerson Mosquera, Santiago Bueno, and Toti Gomes. Meanwhile, Jackson Tchatchoua and Hugo Bueno will start as the two wing-backs.

The wide duo will provide width in the final third and protect the centre-backs. As for the midfield unit, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde will pair up with Andre Trindade in the centre of the park. Finally, Adam Armstrong will lead the line for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Aston Villa, with Mateus Mane and Angel Gomes completing the numbers in the offensive unit.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Sa; Mosquera, Santiago Bueno, Toti Gomes; Tchatchoua, Bellegarde, Andre, Hugo Bueno; Angel Gomes, Mane; Armstrong

Aston Villa

Unlike his counterpart in the Wolverhampton Wanderers dugout, Unai Emery has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to Molineux. The Aston Villa manager will be without only five first-team players on Friday.

Marco Bizot is available after serving a suspension in the Premier League game against Leeds United last weekend. However, Youri Tielemans (ankle), John McGinn (knee), Boubacar Kamara (knee), Harvey Elliott (unspecified), and Alysson (knee) remain in the treatment room.

Emiliano Martinez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday. The backline will feature Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, and Ian Maatsen.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Douglas Luiz and Amadou Onana in the double pivot, with Morgan Rogers reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Ollie Watkins will spearhead the Aston Villa attack against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Leon Bailey and Emiliano Buendia being the two wide attackers. So, Tammy Abraham will be a backup option on the bench for the away side.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Onana, Luiz; Bailey, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins

Key Stats

• Wolverhampton Wanderers have won four of their last six Premier League home games vs Aston Villa (D1 L1), and they are unbeaten in four since a 1-0 loss in December 2020. The Villans have won three of their four most recent Premier League games against Wolves (L1), as many as in their previous 15 (D6 L6). They are looking to complete the Premier League double over them for the first time since 2003/04.
• Wolverhampton Wanderers have failed to score in a league-high 15 Premier League games this season. Only in 2009/10 (17) and 2021/22 (16) did they fail in more in a campaign. They have conceded the first goal in 22 Premier League matches this term, more than any other side. Of the 40 teams to play 200 or more games in the competition, Wolves have conceded first in the highest percentage of them (59.6% – 266/446).
• Since a run of eight successive Premier League wins between November 9 and December 27 this season, Aston Villa have not had a repeated result in their nine most recent games (LWDLWLDWD), last drawing consecutive matches in September against Everton and Sunderland.
• Wolverhampton Wanderers’ last seven Premier League wins (dating back to March 2025) have come against teams in the bottom seven of the table, with those sides having an average position of 17th. They are winless in 17 against sides in the top half (D5 L12) since a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth in February 2025.
• Three of Aston Villa’s four most recent Premier League goals have come in the last five minutes of normal time (88th, 86th and 88th). They have netted 63.2% of their goals in the second half of games (24/38). Only in 2015/16 (70.4%), 1999/00 (69.6%) and 2007/08 (66.2%) did they score a higher share of second-half goals in a Premier League season.

Player to Watch

Tammy Abraham

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While Mateus Mane, Adam Armstrong, and FPL captaincy candidate Morgan Rogers were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Tammy Abraham as the Player to Watch for Friday’s Premier League clash between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa at Molineux.

The English striker has scored more goals against the Black Country outfit than any other opponent in English league football (6), netting a hat-trick in his first Premier League game against them with Chelsea in September 2019. With Aston Villa struggling to put opponents away, Abraham’s appearance off the bench will be crucial to earn a point or three.

Prediction

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Aston Villa

A few weeks ago, this match would have been a foregone conclusion, as barely any team could stop Aston Villa. While Wolverhampton Wanderers continue to yearn for wins, they have shown incredible resolve in recent stalemates, including the come-from-behind draw against Arsenal a few days ago.

So, with Aston Villa enduring a topsy-turvy ride in recent outings, a closely-contested affair is on the cards. The visitors have shown a soft underbelly in their last few matches, and that will cost them another win. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa.