English Premier
2012-01-21 - Wolves vs Aston Villa
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 21 January 2012 - Kick Off 3pm
Wolves
Mick McCarthy was bitterly disappointed with some of his fringe players as Wolves crashed out of the FA Cup to Birmingham City with a 0-1 home loss in the replay on Wednesday night. While some managers would have played the 'we can concentrate on the League' card, McCarthy openly admitted he wanted to stay in the Cup and that he was extremely upset.
Wolves are 16th in the Premier League table and now have 18 points for the season following a hard earned point at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend. That means they are only 3 points better off than bottom placed Wigan and only 1 clear of QPR in the final relegation spot. They are 3-2-5 at Molineux this season, scoring 14 goals and conceding 17.
The team have failed to win any of their last 9 games in all competitions and have also become something of a draw specialist in recent weeks. Before the loss to Birmingham, Wolves had drawn 5 of their previous 6 games, the only exception being a 1-2 loss to Chelsea here courtesy of an 89th minute goal from Frank Lampard. Wolves have lost 2 of their last 3 League games here, while they have failed to win in 4 at home in all competitions.
Ronald Zubar is definitely missing for Wolves, but the squad could be boosted by the return of Jamie O'Hara and Jody Craddock if they pass late fitness tests.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa have been remarkably inconsistent in recent weeks as shown from the fact they beat Chelsea 1-3 at Stamford Bridge, but have followed that up with 2 poor efforts in picking up 1 point from a couple of games at Villa Park. In that time, Villa have also progressed in the FA Cup, but the fans will want to see their side moving back up the Premier League table.
The team fell down to 13th in the table following the results last weekend and they have picked up 24 points so far this season, only 7 more than the likes of QPR and Blackburn Rovers. Villa have been solid and hard to beat on their travels, compiling a 2-6-2 record while scoring 11 goals and conceding 13.
Villa have only won 1 of their last 6 games in the Premier League, albeit an impressive 1-3 win at Chelsea. They are unbeaten in their last 4 away games in the League, winning 2 and drawing 2, and they have also beaten Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup in that time.
Fabian Delph is no longer available after he completed a loan move to Leeds United, while Jermaine Jenas, Chris Herd and Emile Heskey are all ruled out with injuries. Robbie Keane could start against the club where he started his career.
Head to Head
Wolves and Aston Villa drew 0-0 at Villa Park earlier this season.
Last season, both teams managed to win the game away from home.
Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last 10 trips to Molineux stretching back to the late 1970s, although they have won just 2 of their last 5 games here.
Prediction
I hate when everything points to one result as you can be almost sure that it won't come about, but this game is screaming 'DRAW' to me.
Aston Villa have been the draw specialists away from home, while a lack of goals means Wolves have been drawing a lot of their recent games behind strong defensive performances.
Add to the mix the fact that many of the recent games between the sides has not found a winner and the 3.4 on this ending in a stalemate looks reasonable enough.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Wolves 1-1 Aston Villa
