The Breakdown | Aston Villa vs Wolves

#1 Inside both camps

Following the defeat to Coventry City, Gary O’Neil said Pedro Neto’s hamstring injury could rule him out for the remainder of the season. The head coach confirmed it’s a similar injury to the one the winger suffered in October and it’s possible he may make the final matches of the season, should his rehab be a success. O'Neil will provide an injury update on Friday and will hope Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has continued to improve and may make Saturday’s game. He'll also hope Craig Dawson and Matheus Cunha are back available to him, but the game will come too early for Hee Chan Hwang, who continues to recover from his own hamstring injury.

As for Villa, their right-back Matty Cash returned from international duty with a hamstring problem. That injury has ruled Cash out for up to three weeks, meaning he won’t feature on Saturday. Midfielder John McGinn is also absent, as he sits out the second game of a three-match suspension. Elsewhere, Jacob Ramsey has been struggling with an ankle injury, and Unai Emery will provide an update in his press conference. Boubacar Kamara, Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings are all absent with long-term injuries.

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— Wolves (@Wolves) March 26, 2024

#2 Coming into it

The Old Gold are looking to bounce back from the cruel FA Cup loss to Coventry City before the international period, when the visitors scored twice in injury time. In the Premier League, O’Neil’s side won last time out against Fulham. That win is the latest of three successes in the space of four matches, with Sheffield United and Tottenham Hotspur also being defeated. A loss at Newcastle United at the start of the month is the only reverse in the league recently.

Wolves’ last three | L 3-2 Coventry (H) – W 2-1 Fulham (H) – L 3-0 Newcastle (A)

Villa were in Premier League action before the break and picked up a point at the London Stadium thanks to Nicolo Zaniolo’s equaliser in a 1-1 draw. Villa were beaten heavily by Tottenham Hotspur on home soil, but saw off Ajax over two legs either side of that loss. The month began with an entertaining 3-2 win at Luton Town, with Villa sat in fourth spot with nine matches remaining.

Villa’s last three | D 1-1 West Ham (A) – W 4-0 Ajax (H) – L 4-0 Tottenham (H)

#3 Since last time

Wolves 1-1 Aston Villa | 8^th October 2023

Back in October, Wolves’ draw helped settled O’Neil’s side into the positive campaign they’ve enjoyed. After a slow start on points front, Wolves beat Manchester City at Molineux and another solid showing against Villa helped belief grow further. Hwang knocked home his sixth goal of the season, following a fine Neto assist, before Pau Torres quickly equalised for the visitors. Mario Lemina was sent off late on and Ollie Watkins struck the post with the final action of the game, as the points were shared.

Wolves | Sa, Semedo, Kilman, Dawson, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Lemina, Gomes, Neto, Hwang, Cunha.

If O’Neil had a fully fit squad at Villa Park, his 11 is likely to like similar to the one he picked earlier in the season. Instead, he’ll be without Neto and Hwang certainly, while hoping Dawson and Cunha make it. Villa are without the injured Kamara and Cash, while McGinn is suspended. The remaining eight players could feature at Villa Park.

Villa | Martinez, Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne, Cash, Kamara, Luiz, McGinn, Diaby, Watkins.

#4 In the media

BBC Radio WM reporter Mike Taylor touched on late emotion which has been a blessing and curse for Wolves this season.

He said: “It's become clear that this is a squad powered in no small part by emotion. Fans have seen players’ determination to fight through the most high-pressure situations, and the bond between the supporters and the players has been fully restored. It has been obvious how much the players care. But investing such passion in work can be tiring, and twice recently – against Manchester United and now Coventry – having scaled a mountain, Wolves have lost focus, and wearily collapsed off the top of it.

“O’Neil and his players are determined that their whole season will not go the same way. With the handicap of several injuries, avoiding that will be difficult, but the international break – even with many players away – may help them approach the challenge with fresher minds at least. A change of scenery will hopefully prove as good as a rest.”

After the draw at West Ham, BBC Sport journalist Marissa Thomas highlighted the impact of substitutes on Villa’s season.

She said: “Nicolo Zaniolo rescued a point for Aston Villa against West Ham at London Stadium. Only Liverpool (22), Arsenal (18) and Newcastle (18) have had more goal involvements from substitutes in the Premier League this season than Aston Villa (17 - eight goals, nine assists). Both of Zaniolo’s league goals for Villa this term have been second-half equalisers after coming off the bench – with the Italian also levelling things up vs Sheffield United in December 2023.

“Villa are three points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur but were off the pace in the first half of this encounter and found it hard to break down West Ham. They increased the tempo after the break as Ezri Konsa and Youri Tielemans had efforts palmed away by home goalkeeper Alphonse Areola but were unable to find a second goal. Unai Emery will be expecting a much-improved performance when Villa host Wolves.”