Villa Shake Things Up as Wolves Hunt First Win
So, here’s what’s happening ahead of the Aston Villa vs Wolves clash, and honestly, there’s plenty to unpack. The big headline from the Villa camp is that Ollie Watkins has been dropped from the starting lineup. That’s right—Unai Emery has decided to stick with Donyell Malen, who has been in good form lately, especially after scoring twice in Villa’s Europa League win over Young Boys. Watkins, meanwhile, has had a quieter season so far with just one goal, so this decision had been foreshadowed a little. It’s the only change from their 2-1 win at Leeds last weekend, and even though Amadou Onana is available again, he only makes the bench.
The Villa XI looks solid: Martinez in goal, a backline of Cash, Konsa, Torres and Digne, with McGinn, Tielemans and Kamara handling midfield duties. Rogers and Buendia offer creativity, and Malen leads the line. The bench, though, is stacked—Sancho, Watkins, Onana, Maatsen… plenty of firepower if the game needs rescuing.
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On the Wolves side, Rob Edwards has made three changes as his team searches for their first Premier League win of the season. Yerson Mosquera, Jhon Arias and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde all come into the starting lineup, which gives this Wolves side a much fresher feel. Marshall Munetsi and Tolu Arokodare drop to the bench, and Ladislav Krejci misses out completely due to injury.
Their lineup reads: Johnstone in goal, Tchatchoua, Agbadou, Mosquera and Toti at the back, with Wolfe, Joao Gomes and Andre holding the midfield spine. Bellegarde, Strand Larsen and Arias complete the attack. There’s depth on the bench, including Sa, Hwang and Arokodare, so Wolves have options if they need to change things up.
What’s interesting is that Wolves, despite their poor start, have been improving under Edwards—especially from set pieces. His teams are known for squeezing every drop out of dead-ball moments, and early signs suggest Wolves are embracing that again. Even in their defeat to Crystal Palace, they generated real chances from corners and free-kicks. Villa will know that any unnecessary fouls or sloppy defending could cost them.
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