‘Absolutely blown away’: Paul Merson predicts Wolves v Aston Villa result

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Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa lock horns in a big West Midlands derby in the Premier League on Saturday.

Wolves host the Villans at Molineux, with both sides still having a lot to play for in the latter stages of the season.

The hosts are seven points clear of the bottom three with four games to go and 12 points left to play for.

Julien Lopetegui’s charges lost 6-0 to Brighton last week and will want to make amends and get over the safety line.

Unai Emery’s Villa also lost last time out, falling to a 1-0 defeat away at Manchester United last Sunday.

The loss put a huge dent in their Champions League ambitions, though they’re just five points adrift of fifth place.

Villa cult hero Paul Merson gave his pre-match prediction in his weekly Sportskeeda column.

He reckons the Villans will bounce back with a win on the road, predicting a 2-1 win for the visitors.

However, Merson is confident that Wolves will stay up and will make some amends for their thrashing last Saturday.

“It was a disappointing result for Aston Villa against Manchester United,” wrote Merson. “They would have really fancied themselves ahead of the game.

“Wolves, on the other hand, got absolutely blown away by a Brighton side that looked like a second-string side, at least on paper.

“I fancy Villa to return to winning ways away from home. It’s a nice big pitch at the Molineux and that will suit Unai Emery and his team.

“I don’t think Wolves will get relegated, but they won’t want to end their season on a sour note, so they will look to put their 6-0 demolition against Brighton behind them.”

Wolves v Villa team news

Emery will make a late decision on four Villa players ahead of the trip to Molineux, as per the Villans website.

Matty Cash, Boubacar Kamara, Philippe Coutinho and Leon Bailey all returned to training this week.

Meanwhile, Lopetegui told the Wolves media team that defender Nelson Semedo is a doubt for the game.

He suffered a knee problem that culminated in his substitution during last week’s defeat at Brighton.

Chiquinho is back in training but remains sidelined, along with fellow long-term absentee Sasa Kalajdzic.