Match Preview: Wolves vs Aston Villa

With the excpetion of two Molineux meetings ago, it is very rare that Midland derbies end in a whitewash or a battering and this will meeting looks as though it will be no different. Wolves have not beaten Villa for 30 years and this Sunday is a good opportunity to end the hoodoo.

We will need a much better defensive display than last week to withstand any chance of pulling off what would be a good result in Gerard Houllier's first Premiership match in charge of Villa. Christophe Berra looks set to regain his place after a one-match ban for the under-par Richard Stearman, Michael Mancienne should make way for the more creative David Jones and contrary to what a lot of fans have been saying, I think Stephen Ward will keep his place at left-back. Having the home advantage and yet to fail to score a goal in a match this season, we should go back to 4-4-2 with Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Kevin Doyle up front whilst Steven Fletcher plays left midfield on place of the struggling Jelle van Damme.

A new manager's first league should be enough to fire up any team. Houllier favourite Emile Heskey will be seeking for a start after his performance turned the game around in Villa's Carling Cup win against Blackburn as Gabriel Agbonlahor stuggles to maintain his fitness and John Carew has been under-performing. Stephen Ireland - yet to impress - also faces a battle and Richard Dunne is out with a knee injury. Villa will also look for better success away from home this season after a drumming by Newcastle and giving the game away at Stoke.

This fixture last season was very much a game of two halves. We dominated the first whereas we started to look ragged second half as it wore on as Villa slowed the play down a bit. Credit to the Villa defence however for they snuffed out every cross that came their way and Richard Dunne and James Collins had Ebanks-Blake and Doyle's number. Same could be said for Berra with John Carew. Expect no different this time around.

Count on this game being a story of two sides cancelling each other out.

'Grobs'

POSSIBLE LINE-UP

WOLVES (4-4-2): Hahnemann; Foley, Craddock, Berra, Ward; Jarvis, Henry (c), Jones, Fletcher; Doyle, Ebanks-Blake

VILLA: (4-4-1-1) Friedel; Luke Young, Cuellar, Collins, Warnock; Albrighton, Petrov, Sidwell, Downing; Ashley Young; Heskey

VILLA'S KEY PLAYER: Ashley Young. The winger is starting to turn into Villa's standout player after moving into a free role between the midfield and lone striker.

ODDS (with William Hill) (see more odds)

WIN: Wolves 9/5; Draw 21/10; Villa 8/5

FIRST GOALSCORER: Fletcher (Wolves) 6/1; Carew (Villa) 6/1; Doyle (Wolves) 13/2; Ebanks-Blake (Wolves) 15/2; Heskey (Villa) 15/2; Ashley Young (Villa) 9/1; Jarvis (Wolves) 12/1; Jones (Wolves) 14/1; Downing (Villa) 14/1; Craddock (Wolves) 25/1

NOTABLE MUTUAL ALUMNI: Andy Gray, Paul Birch, Tony Daley, Michael Oakes, Peter Broadbent, Steve Froggatt, John Burridge, Gordon Cowans.

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