Wolverhampton Wanderers play their first Premier League this evening since March 9 as they face Aston Villa.
The Old Gold are flying high in the top flight this term, yet they slipped to a stunning defeat to Coventry City in the FA Cup quarter-final just two weeks ago.
They led 2-1 with just injury time to go, but the Sky Blues scored twice – including the winner with just seconds to go – to claim a semi-final spot.
Gary O’Neil will no doubt have been devastated at such a collapse, yet it will allow him to focus on securing a top-half finish in the Premier League this season.
Wolves team news vs Aston Villa
The previous few weeks have seen several first-team stars suffer various injury issues. First, it was Matheus Cunha, before the likes of Hwang Hee-Chan, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Craig Dawson and Pedro Neto were all ruled out.
The latter four will be unavailable for the clash against Villa this evening, as O’Neil will have to rejig his starting XI.
Cunha may be in line for a first appearance since the 2-0 loss to Brentford at the beginning of February.
Despite the Brazilian pushing for an opportunity, the manager may prefer to play it safe and continue to utilise a striker who has deputised for him and Hwang recently – Nathan Fraser.
Nathan Fraser can replace Hwang and Cunha
Between them during the 2023/24 campaign, Hwang and Cunha have scored 22 goals along with registering a further ten assists between them, emerging as O’Neil’s main attacking partnership when both are fit.
Since the pair have been out injured, he has had to change things slightly, with Fraser coming into the first team setup on a more regular basis.
Metric
Matheus Cunha
Hwang Hee-Chan
Goals
9
10
Assists
6
3
Key passes per game
1
0.7
Big chances created
7
4
Successful dribbles per game
2.2
1.4
During an EFL Cup tie against Blackpool earlier this season, the youngster scored and grabbed an assist, adding another goal to his collection against Brentford in the FA Cup back in January.
The teen has been described as “inquisitive” by the U21 head coach, James Collins, following his excellent showings for the youth team.
His maturity at such a young age has given O’Neil a licence to unleash the player against clubs such as Newcastle United and Manchester United recently.
The teenager has shown plenty of promise across his four league appearances this season as he has averaged 0.5 key passes per game, won two total duels per game and lost possession on just three occasions per match, showing he has the ability to have an excellent future at the club.
If he can score his first top flight goal against Villa this evening, it could give O’Neil a major selection headache, especially with Cunha and Hwang returning to the fold sooner rather than later.
Being thrown in the deep end appears to have worked wonders for Fraser and his confidence levels, showing that he can adapt to senior football, especially in the Premier League.
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A victory over the Villa Park side will bolster their chances of finishing in the top half of the table. There is no doubt about that.
