English Premier
2011-08-27 - Aston Villa vs Wolves
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football : English Premier League
Saturday 27 August 2011 - Kickoff 12:45pm
This game is live on TV
Aston Villa
Alex McCleish may have bought himself some time at Villa Park after winning back to back games there and giving the Villa fans the belief that they are in for a good season regardless of some of the bigger names leaving the club. McCleish was not the first choice of the fans to take over from Gerard Houllier, but his start will keep the boo-boys at bay.
Aston Villa are 4th in the Premier League table at this very early stage of the season and have picked up 4 points from their opening 2 games. They won their only home game in the League 3-1 last week against Blackburn Rovers and followed that up with a 2-0 win over Hereford in the Carling Cup. The performance against Blackburn was impressive and there are signs the club will enjoy a brighter future than some may have predicted.
The 3 games this season have extended Villa's run to 6 unbeaten in competitive games and they have now lost just 1 of their last 11 games. They have lost just 1 of their last 11 games at Villa Park, going unbeaten in their last 6 in front of their own fans.
Luke Young, Emile Heskey and Gabby Agbonlahor were all substituted in the win over Blackburn last week and then rested in the Carling Cup. While they all had minor injuries last week, they are all expected to line up in an unchanged starting line up from the win over Blackburn.
Wolves
After surviving by the skin of their teeth last season, Wolves have made a very good start to the new campaign as fans begin dreaming of a season where they can establish themselves as a proper Premier League club. The signing of Roger Johnson looks a very good piece of business by Mick McCarthy, especially at the price they paid, and the team look settled as a top flight club.
Wolves are actually sitting 1 place higher than Villa in the League standings in 3rd place, and are one of only three clubs that are yet to drop points this season. An impressive 1-2 win at Blackburn on the opening day was backed up by a comfortable 2-0 win at home against Fulham and they have also moved on to the 3rd Round of the Carling Cup.
They have now lost just 1 of their last 7 competitive games, although that came on the last day of last season and almost cost them their place in the top flight. Wolves have actually won their last 3 away games stretching back to last season, although they had only won 1 of their previous 10 before that.
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake is expected to spend some time on the sidelines after injuring himself while scoring against Northampton in the Carling Cup. It is expected that the same side that beat Fulham will be starting here.
Head to Head
Wolves actually secured their first win at Villa Park for 31 years when beating Villa 0-1 here last season. That is actually Villa's only home defeat in their last 11 games here.
Aston Villa won the reverse fixture 1-2 earlier on in the season.
They have met 3 times at Villa Park in the last 8 years, and the record is 1-1-1.
Prediction
This should be a good early afternoon game for viewers both at the stadium and those watching at home.
I have to say I have been impressed with Wolves' results in the opening 2 games, although this is their toughest fixture of this fledgling season. Roger Johnson has given them a bit more solidity in the backline, although I am still wary of their poor away form in the last couple of seasons.
Aston Villa really dominated their game with Blackburn last week and could have been out of sight by half time as Alex McCleish sent out an attacking team. With the likes of Darren Bent, Gabby Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey, I expect the side can score goals, especially as they are serviced by the likes of Marc Albrighton and Charles N'Zogbia.
That first half performance impressed me enough to think Villa at odds against look a sound investment. I was a little torn between that and the Over 2.5 goals market, but I think Villa have enough attacking talents to win the game at the bigger price.
It won't be easy, especially as Wolves have plenty of confidence from their opening games, but I will take Villa to win a close one.
The Statistics :
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pick :
Aston Villa 2-1 Wolves
