Aston Villa are about to embark on the final furlong of what could turn out to be one of their most successful Premier League seasons.
Unai Emery currently has his side sitting in fourth position in the league table, having a genuine chance of securing Champions League football for next season.
The Spaniard won’t just be targeting a top-four finish in the league either, as the club are into the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League following a stunning 4-0 win over Ajax in the previous round.
The international break is over with the fixtures coming thick and fast, meaning Emery will have to utilise the full capabilities of his squad over the coming weeks.
Coming up against an ever-improving Wolverhampton Wanderers side will test Villa to the limit and every player will need to be at their best in order to secure all three points.
Aston Villa team news
The main absence from the starting XI will be John McGinn. The Scot was sent off following a rash challenge on Tottenham Hotspur's Destiny Udogie as Villa eventually succumbed to a 4-0 defeat, having since served the first of his three-game ban in the recent draw with West Ham United.
The likes of Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara and Emiliano Buendia are all still unavailable, while Matty Cash is the latest name to be ruled out of the Wolves clash.
"Bad news with Matty Cash,” Emery said during his pre-match press conference. “After playing with his national team, he came back with a small injury. He’s not available for tomorrow.
“For Saturday he is not available – maybe two or three weeks more.
“Jacob Ramsey is progressing well and we are going to train this afternoon and we will decide if he can help us or not tomorrow.”
Player
Reason
Estimated return
Tyrone Mings
Knee injury
24/06/2024
Emiliano Buendia
Knee injury
24/06/2024
Boubacar Kamara
Knee injury
26/10/2024
Matty Cash
Thigh injury
21/04/2024
Jacob Ramsey
Ankle injury
30/03/2024
John McGinn
Suspension
06/04/2024
Emery could switch things up from their last outing against the Hammers in that 1-1 draw, with one new signing being dropped to the bench…
Morgan Rogers’ statistics for Aston Villa
Morgan Rogers impressed for Middlesbrough during the first half of the season, scoring seven goals along with registering nine assists, which clearly caught Emery’s attention.
So far, Rogers has featured six times for the Midlands side without registering a goal involvement, although he has shone in spells since making the move to Villa.
He was deployed on the left side of the midfield during the first leg against Ajax and delivered a mature display. During his 63 minutes on the field, the youngster attempted six dribbles, succeeding with five of them while also winning 70% of his ground duels during the tie.
The performance proved that he was ready to make the step-up while showing that the occasion or opponent didn’t faze him at all.
Against West Ham a couple of weeks ago, Rogers was once again trusted in the starting XI, but his display wasn’t as effective as Emery would have liked.
He did succeed with two of his three dribble attempts, but completed just 77% of his passes, won just a third of his ground duels and committed four fouls.
The former Boro gem was subbed off after 63 minutes as he was replaced by Nicolo Zaniolo, and he should be given the nod this evening against the Old Gold.
Nicolo Zaniolo’s performance against West Ham in numbers
The Italian has endured a mixed spell since arriving on loan from Galatasaray last summer, but he came to the rescue against the Irons.
He also attempted as many dribble attempts during his cameo as Rogers did, although he succeeded with just one, while Zaniolo won three of his seven ground duels and took 20 touches.
His goal ensured the club shared the spoils and this could give Emery a licence to unleash the 19-cap Italy international this evening instead of Rogers.
Nicolo Zaniolo’s Aston Villa statistics
Zaniolo has made 32 appearances for Villa since joining last summer, yet the former AS Roma starlet has scored just three goals during that spell.
In the Premier League, the 24-year-old has started just seven times, registered 1.1 shots per game, averaged 0.4 key passes per game and recovered 1.4 balls per game.
During the reverse clash against Wolves earlier in the season, Zaniolo came on for the final half an hour and looked lively.
He delivered two crosses into the opposition box, took one shot, and won three of his five ground duels, while also being fouled three times during his cameo appearance.
Another display like this, but from the first whistle, could see the midfielder offer a dangerous attacking threat against the Wolves defence and give Villa their first win over the Old Gold in six attempts.
The £60k-per-week dynamo was called up to represent Italy during their recent international friendlies against Venezuela and Ecuador, starting the latter game.
He started in an attacking midfield role and managed to make one key pass, miss a big chance while taking two shots during the clash, and he was praised by journalist Matt Santangelo following his display, who said:
“Nicolò Zaniolo’s ball carrying and hold up play has been quality tonight. You definitely need someone to play off him, but the physical side of his game has been encouraging.”
If he can carry over his displays for his country into tonight’s tie against Wolves, then they will have an excellent chance at securing all three points.
He has been devoid of confidence in a Villa shirt recently, but his goal against West Ham last time out should hopefully give him a boost.
The final few weeks of the season, depending on how far Villa progress in Europe, could see them playing twice a week until May. This means Emery will have to rotate his squad on a regular basis, giving plenty of fringe players the chance to impress.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Starting tonight, Zaniolo could stake his claim to be a regular in the starting XI if he delivers a solid performance as it could inspire the club to another Premier League victory.
There is no doubt he should be given a chance against the Molineux side to see what he can do from the very start.
Rogers & Duran dropped in predicted Aston Villa lineup vs Wolves
Aston Villa face Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday evening
ByRoss KilvingtonMar 30, 2024