English Premier League Soccer - Aston Villa vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers, 6/27/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds
Still trying to squeeze out of the bottom three, 19th-placed Aston Villa are hosting 6th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are eying a spot in the Champions League next season. Kick-off - at 7:30 AM ET on Saturday, June 27.
Villa Draw With Magpies
Aston Villa earned a point in their bid for survival in the Premier League after drawing 1-1 against Newcastle United away at St. James’ Park on Wednesday. The hosts opened the scoring midway through the second half before the Villans equalized with seven minutes remaining on the clock, with substitute Ahmed El Mohamady heading home from Conor Hourihane’s corner, thus netting his first Premier League goal in five years. Aston Villa have now gone D2 L5 in their last seven league contests, still sitting 19th in the standings (W7 D6 L18), on level points with 18th-placed Bournemouth and 17th-placed West Ham United.
English playmaker Jack Grealish has scored a team-high seven markers in the EPL this year but has failed to get on the scoresheet for eight straight contests. Goalie Orjan Nyland, meanwhile, sits 28th in the league with 14 saves. He has collected one clean sheet in six appearances this season and allows a goal every 41 minutes on average. Aston Villa is 11th in most goals buried during the current campaign (36), 10th in most shots taken per game (12.2), 13th in ball possession (46.6%), and 11th in passing accuracy (77.3%).
Wolves Extend Unbeaten Streak
Wolverhampton Wanderers continued to keep pace with Manchester United for a top-five finish in the Premier League this season after banking a 1-0 home victory against Bournemouth at Molineux Stadium on Wednesday. The Wolves controlled the ball 55% of the time, outshot the visitors 10-4 and banked the only marker right at the hour mark, with Adama Traore and Raul Jimenez combining for their league-leading 10th collective snipe of the season, with the latter scoring his team-leading 15th goal of the campaign. Wolverhampton has now gone unbeaten for seven straight outings (W4 D3), keeping a clean sheet in six of them. The team is 6th in the standings (W12 D13 L6), level on points with 5th-placed Manchester United, but with an inferior goal differential.
Mexican marksman Jimenez’s 15 goals for the season is the highest amount of snipes any player has ever scored in a single Premier League campaign for the Wolves. Rui Patricio, meanwhile, is 11th in the league’s goalkeeper chart with 80 saves. He has picked up 10 clean sheets in 31 outings this year and gives up a goal every 82 minutes of play. Wolverhampton has netted the 7th highest number of goals during the ongoing campaign (44) while taking the 9th highest quantity of shots per game (12.6). The team is 12th in ball possession (48.1%) and 10th in passing accuracy (78.9%).
Prediction
The recent fortunes of both teams could not have been more different from one another. Aston Villa are trying to save themselves from relegation, currently sitting second-bottom with just two points collected from a possible 21 during their past seven matchups (D2 L5), while Wolverhampton Wanderers find themselves in a direct fight with Manchester United for the 5th place, which, as it stands, would guarantee the team Champions League soccer next season. The Wolves are unbeaten in their last seven contests (W4 D3), posting six clean sheets along the way, while the Villans have managed to score just two goals in their past five outings, being blanked in three of those games. Facing a Wolverhampton team, which has already won three of its previous five meetings with Aston Villa (W3 L2), is definitely not a proposition even the Birmingham side itself is expecting much from.
Best bet:
Wolverhampton to win to nil (+180)