Premier League: Emery and Lopetegui Meet Again in Midlands Derby

Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

After facing off several times in Spain’s La Liga, Spanish managers Unai Emery and Julen Lopetegui meet for the first time in the Premier League as they lead their respective sides in a fierce Midlands derby.

Emery has gotten off to a decent start at Aston Villa with three wins out of four, including a big 2-0 victory away at Tottenham on New Year’s Day.

The Premier League 2023 betting odds will have Emery’s Villa favoured at home against Lopetegui’s Wolves, who will be keen to bounce back after their home setback against Manchester United.

Talking Points

Emery making immediate impact at Aston Villa

Aston Villa are enjoying the new manager bounce they were hoping to get after sacking Steven Gerrard and replacing him with Unai Emery. The Villans have won three of their first four Premier League games under the Spaniard, including back wins over top four-chasing Manchester United and Tottenham.

Villa’s 2-0 away win at Tottenham was their first clean sheet under Emery, and it was a classic defensive masterclass as the Spaniard’s side held Spurs to just six shots in total.

Robin Olsen once again started in goal for World Cup winner Emi Martinez, while veteran Ashley Young got a surprise start at right-back over Matty Cash. But both Martinez and Cash are expected to make it back to the starting XI against Wolves.

Meanwhile, Douglas Luiz had a tremendous performance as he had five shots, including the game-clinching second goal. The Brazilian midfielder has been one of the main beneficiaries of Emery’s arrival at Villa as he’s provided a goal and two assists in four games under the Spaniard.

Emery has installed a 4-4-2 formation in his first four games, with a winger – Emi Buendia or Leon Bailey – partnering a centre-forward – Danny Ings or Ollie Watkins. Watkins has been in particularly impressive form of late, with three goals and two assists in his last six appearances.

Wolves’ new striker now available for Lopetegui

Julen Lopetegui suffered his first defeat as Wolves manager as his side lost 1-0 at home to Manchester United on New Year’s Eve.

Prior to that defeat, Lopetegui had won his first two games in charge: 2-0 against Gillingham in the EFL Cup and 2-1 away at Everton in the Premier League. In both games, Rayan Ait-Nouri came on as a substitute and popped up with a goal in stoppage time.

Wolves’ 2-1 win over Everton was the first time they’ve scored more than one goal this season as they’re once again struggling to find the back of the net. They have scored just 10 goals thus far, which is dead last in the division.

But there’s some good news for Wolves as striker Matheus Cunha is finally available to play after his loan deal from Atletico Madrid finally became official.

The 23-year-old Cunha made just two starts for Atletico and has yet to score this season, but he is a more than capable centre-forward who can produce Premier League 2023 highlights if given the opportunity.

Cunha looks set to take the starting spot of veteran Diego Costa, who has been ineffective since his arrival at Molineux in October.

History

Aston Villa have had the upper hand in this Midlands derby. The Villans have a 56-43 edge in wins, with 33 draws. But it has been much more even in the Premier League era, with the two teams tied at five wins, with four draws.

Wolves have gotten the better of this matchup in recent years, with four wins in the last six meetings, including the double last season. They had a dramatic duel at Villa Park last season as Wolves came back from two goals down with three goals in the last 10 minutes to win 3-2.

Betting Tip

SBOTOP odds have Aston Villa installed as 2.00 favourites at home in their derby date against Wolves, who are priced at 3.65. A draw is 3.40.

The two managers obviously know each other quite well, but there are bound to be some surprises with both of them being on new clubs.

Still, I suspect this will be a cagey affair as most derbies are, with both sides trying to stay solid defensively, and that might very well result in a derby draw.

 

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