Premier League: Week 7 Standouts Duel at the Molineux

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Aston Villa

The Wolves and Aston Villa make up much of the Premier League XI of the seventh matchday of the 2023-24 campaign. That comes as no surprise, given how they performed last time out.

Wolves managed to score one of the biggest Premier League 2023 results so far this season with a shocking 2-1 victory against defending champions Manchester City, while Aston Villa recorded their largest win this term, a 6-1 result against an up-and-coming Brighton team.

Aston Villa became the fifth seed, while Wolves improved to 15^th as a result. And these two West Midlands sides will convene at the Molineux on Sunday with the aim of sustaining their momentum.

The pre-game SBOTOP betting odds make a good reading for Aston Villa, but as we’ve learned from last weekend, the Wolves should not be underestimated at all.

Talking Points

Wolves’ “Korean guy” deserves respect

Gary O’Neil’s men were off to a great start when Ruben Dias scored an own goal after 13 minutes, but the complexion of the game changed when Julian Alvarez netted the equaliser 13 minutes after halftime.

Just when it looked like Manchester City would extend their undefeated streak, Nelson Semedo’s forward run inspired a second goal for the Wolves.

The Portuguese wing-back’s cross was deflected, and the ball went Hwang Hee-Chan’s way. Hwang’s first shot was blocked, but Matheus Cunha had the presence of mind to give it back to the South Korean for the marginal goal.

Hwang Hee-Chan now has five goals to lead the whole team, which is already a significant improvement after a lacklustre 2022-23 campaign where he only netted three times.

The Wolves’ social media admin certainly had fun trolling Pep Guardiola, who was serving his one-match touchline ban, after they beat the Sky Blues last weekend.

During their pre-game press conference against the Wolves, Guardiola heaped praise on Pedro Neto, Matheus Cunha, and Hwang Hee-Chan, except that he called Hwang “the Korean guy” rather than his actual name.

Another Wolves player who deserves a shoutout is their centre-back Craig Dawson.

The veteran defender, who signed with the team for a cheap fee in January, was able to limit Erling Haaland while making crucial interventions to save the Wolves from conceding certain goals.

Watkins’ Villa performances justifies England recall

Ollie Watkins scored his second hat-trick of the season against Brighton, which certainly caught the attention of Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate, who promptly called him up to the squad after the strong performance.

The 27-year-old, who last played for England in March 2022, is the frontrunner of the Golden Boot race this season with seven goals, and he also has three assists. Under Unai Emery, Watkins has been simply unplayable, and there are now talks of a long-term extension between the striker and the club.

As of this writing, Aston Villa boast the second-most potent attack in the Premier League, with 18 goals already.

And the scary part is that Watkins is not the only one producing for the Villans, as Leon Bailey, Jhon Duran, Douglas Luiz, Matty Cash, Moussa Diaby, John McGinn, Lucas Digne, Jacob Ramsey, and Boubacar Kamara have already opened their accounts this season too.

History

If you didn’t look at the current Premier League standings, you might be led to believe that the Wolves are better than the Villans.

That is because the Wolves have won three of their last four league matches against Aston Villa (D1), which is as many as in their first 12 encounters with them (D4, L5).

Also, Aston Villa have lost five of their last six road visits at the Molineux, with their sole win being a 1-0 result during the 2020-21 campaign.

This year, the Wolves have lost just four of their 13 Premier League home matches (W8, D1) after losing each of their final four at home in 2022. They have won five of their last eight at Molineux (D1, L2), with four of those victories being clean sheets.

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2023 odds expect a tight contest between the Wolves and Aston Villa. The visitors were given the slight edge at 2.12, while a home win for Wolves is at 3.00 odds, and a draw also offers great value at 3.40 in the 1X2 market.

The hosts are probably planning yet another smash-and-grab, just like in their improbable result against the Sky Blues, but the Villans have the capability to breach their low block and score enough goals to get the maximum points.

 

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