Premier League preview: Wolves v Aston Villa

Wolverhampton Wanderers will be hoping their first win in nine matches arrives at home to Midlands rivals Aston Villa on Saturday.

Wolves’ last victory was a 2-1 triumph at home to Sunderland on December 5.

They have only lost three times in the following eight matches, managing to scrape together four points with draws at home to Norwich and away to Arsenal, Bolton and Tottenham.

While those returns cannot be discounted, Wolves manager Mick McCarthy knows his team must start picking up three points regularly if they are to climb away from the relegation zone.

McCarthy’s side are 16th on the table, just two places and one point clear of the bottom three.

Desperate to avoid being sucked into another nerve-wracking scrap for survival, Wolves fans will hope to take advantage of Villa’s own uncertainty when their neighbours arrive at Molineux.

Saturday’s visitors are just three places and six points better off than Wolves, with manager Alex McLeish struggling to discover a winning formula during his first season at the club.

Villa’s inconsistency is reflected in their recent results, with two draws, one win and one defeat in their last four league outings.

Even more revealing of Villa’s unpredictability is which opponents those results have come against, with a 3-1 victory away to Champions League hopefuls Chelsea followed by a 2-0 defeat at home to promoted club Swansea.

McLeish’s men could only draw 1-1 at home to Everton in their last outing.

The Scottish manager, who left Birmingham to take over at their bitter cross-city rivals, knows his limited credit with the Villa faithful will only last so long if results do not improve.

Already feeling the pressure, both managers can at least feel relieved not to be afflicted by the injury crises befalling so many clubs.

For Wolves, defender Ronald Zubar (knee) and midfielder Jamie O’Hara (hernia) are nearing a return, while veteran centre-back Jody Craddock could yet overcome a hamstring strain.

As for Villa, young midfielder Chris Herd is back in contention following an ankle injury, but striker Emile Heskey is not expected to return until February.

On-loan midfielder Jermaine Jenas is a long-term absentee with an Achilles problem.