Aston Villa host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday evening in what promises to be a hotly contested derby at Villa Park.
Villa’s rivalry with the Black Country club dates back to 1886 when the two sides met in the FA Cup. Amazingly, due to the replay rules, the two sides faced each other four times in the cup after the initial 2-2 draw.
Since then, the Villans have had the better of their West Midlands rivals, with 56 wins compared to Wolves’ 44.
However, the away side have certainly enjoyed the best of the recent fixtures, with Wanderers unbeaten since December 2020. Three draws and three defeats have come since Villa’s last victory.
For Unai Emery’s side, anything other than three points will be extremely damaging.
In-form Aston Villa star could rip Wolves apart on Saturday
The Villa boss has several selection dilemmas ahead of Saturday evening’s fixture and one player who will be firmly in his thinking.
Morgan Rogers has enjoyed an excellent week on the international stage after making his full Premier League debut against West Ham United. The London Stadium outing wasn’t an ideal first start for the former Manchester City man, but he appears to have put his 63-minute cameo firmly behind him.
Rogers netted twice for England’s under-21s against Luxembourg on Tuesday and registered an assist in the Young Lions’ 5-1 win over Azerbaijan. Of course, the opposition was not the highest quality, but the 21-year-old’s recent performances indicate that a goal is coming.
Per FotMob, Rogers averages nearly three shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League for Villa. Furthermore, over 50% are on target.
Coming back from international duty in red-hot form, the Wolverhampton Wanderers clash could be an excellent chance for the former Middlesbrough man to stamp his authority at Villa Park.
The home faithful will be desperate for Rogers to kickstart his top-flight career against Gary O’Neil’s side.
