Aston Villa return to action on Saturday evening as Unai Emery’s side look for a vital three points against Wolves, handing one Villa ace the chance to restore his form.
As the final international break of the 2023/24 campaign closes, Aston Villa prepare for the run-in of the Premier League season, starting with a battle with Wolves on Saturday evening.
The Villans are firmly in the race to claim a spot in the Champions League next campaign, with every game now crucial as Tottenham and Manchester United also eye a place among Europe’s elite.
Unai Emery will hope to break his dismal managerial record against Wolves at Villa Park, as the hosts seek their first win at home in the league in over a month.
The fixture will be an opportunity for Villa to not only flex their strength to commence their final nine games of the Premier League season but will also be a chance for one star to rediscover his form.
Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey will be keen to get back among the goals
It’s not necessarily been a difficult month for Leon Bailey however, the Jamaican will be keen to get himself back among the goals against Wolves.
The winger hasn’t scored in the Premier League for Villa in over a month, last finding the net in the Villans’s 4-2 win against Nottingham Forest in February.
Since then, the former Bayer Leverkusen ace has scored in the Europa Conference League, netting an impressive goal against Ajax to showcase his quality.
Now, the Jamaica international will be hopeful of scoring against Wolves, adding to his impressive tally of eight league goals however, it will be far from easy for the winger for one key reason.
Why Leon Bailey will need to show his strengths against Wolves
With 16 goal contributions in 27 Premier League appearances this season, Bailey doesn’t need to prove himself to anyone however, he will be eager to maximise his tally for the season.
Against Wolves comes a significant challenge for the Jamaican, with one of the Old Gold’s strongest assets of late being left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, who has been in searing form both defensively and offensively.
While Ezri Konsa offers Emery more stability when it comes to 1v1 situations at right-back, his presence isolates Bailey slightly as opposed to when the 26-year-old plays on the right with Matty Cash.
Not only would the Jamaican need to work harder to get on the ball, but could face a task in overcoming not just Ait-Nouri, but defensive maestro Toti Gomes too.
The partnership of the Algerian and the Portuguese ace on the left has brought great joy to the Old Gold this term, giving Bailey a challenge to really assert himself at Villa Park on Saturday.
Luckily, there aren’t many in the Premier League that are as potent in possession as the Villa jewel, who was lauded as “unpredictable” earlier this year by commentator Lucy Ward.
As per FBref, Bailey ranks in the top 3% of midfielders in the Premier League this term for his rate of 2.59 successful take-ons per 90, with all of his form from earlier in the season required to overcome the challenge Wolves could present on Saturday.
