Back this 5/2 Wolves vs Aston Villa single

Wolves welcome Midlands rivals Aston Villa to Molineux on Saturday evening as both look to realise ambitions at opposite ends of the table.

Odds Now's Brad Walker (@brad_TWalker) runs you through all of the key details.

The hosts' may have picked up at the start of Vitor Pereira's reign at Molineux, but their form has soon returned to type after recording four consecutive league losses on the spin.

The latest came at home to Arsenal, where Riccardo Calafiori's 74th minute strike was enough to secure all three points for the visitors.

A controversial first-half red card to Arsenal full-back Miles Lewis-Skelly looked to have provided Wolves a push to exert themselves on the Gunners, but a surprising lack of ambition from the home side ultimately proved costly.

Wolves were handed a red card of their own after 70 minutes when midfielder Joao Gomes received his second yellow of the match, meaning he's now suspended for Villa's visit on Saturday.

The Villains will also be disappointed with their 1-1 draw with West Ham at Villa Park last week, particularly given they made a lightning start to the game.

Jacob Ramsey gave Villa an early lead and Unai Emery's men threatened to run away with it in the opening stages, before the game settled and West Ham were ultimately offered a route back into the game.

Nevertheless, Villa have since been provided with a huge boost following a 4-2 home victory over Celtic on Wednesday. The win saw them secure a spot in the Champions League knockout stages.

Wolves form has declined after a positive start to Vitor Pereira's tenure. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Aston Villa's measly post-Champions League record

The Celtic win will leave the visitors in a buoyant mood, but their record in league matches directly following a game in Europe is poor.

Villa have won only once after playing in the Champions League this season and also face a future without key strikers Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran, both of whom are being strongly linked with a move elsewhere.

Whether either is available selection for this one remains to be seen, but their potential loss will leave a gaping hole in Villa's attack not only this weekend but also moving forward.

The Wolves faithful will also recognise just how crucial this game could be for their survival hopes.

Pereira's men are currently 18th and only one point adrift of safety heading into Saturday, but that gap could be extended to four if rivals Ipswich win against bottom-side Southampton earlier in the day.

However, some hope can be taken from their recent record in this fixture.

Wolves have lost only one of their last five home matches against Villa, three of which ended in a Wolves victory.

They currently sit at 5/2 to continue the theme with another win this weekend and, given Villa's success mid-week, I'm backing the away side to be caught cold again and suffer defeat to a Wolves side in desperate need of points.

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