Aston Villa finally return to action in the Premier League on Saturday evening, as the Villans host Wolves at Villa Park in the hunt for a much-needed three points.
Sitting three points above Spurs in the race for the top four, Aston Villa will be seeking a crucial win against Wolves on Saturday evening.
In their previous two league fixtures before the international break, Unai Emery’s side failed to win, losing to Spurs and drawing with West Ham last time out.
Having not won in the Premier League at Villa Park in over a month, the Villans will be hoping to pick up a vital three points against their spirited Midlands rivals.
Wolves are still in contention to claim a spot in Europe next season, with the work of Gary O’Neil continuing to defy the odds, making Saturday’s test a particularly difficult one for the hosts to scope.
Aston Villa team news vs Wolves
Earlier in the week it was confirmed that Matty Cash will be absent for the next three weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury on international duty.
The Poland international will be a big loss to Emery’s squad, which is already incredibly low on right-backs.
There remains hope that Jacob Ramsey could be in contention to make the squad, while captain John McGinn will face the second match of his three-game suspension.
On the injury front, Cash’s absence will almost certainly see Ezri Konsa start on the right side of defence, with Emery having another decision to make when it comes to his back line.
Diego Carlos must start for Aston Villa against Wolves
Against West Ham, Clement Lenglet was far from his best, seeing the Frenchman hauled off at halftime.
The Barcelona loanee could find his time in the starting XI expire as Wolves pay a visit to Villa Park, with Diego Carlos ready to return to the action after recovering from injury, not starting the previous five games.
Once dubbed a “monster” by teammate Ollie Watkins, Carlos has been exemplary at times for the Villans this season, particularly when paired with Pau Torres, who has been Villa’s glue at the back.
After having a difficult start to life in the Midlands, the £26m Brazilian has shown his quality when called upon this term, being branded as “solid” earlier in the campaign by journalist John Townley.
As per statistics provided by Squawka, Carlos is a more reliable asset for Villa to have in central defence, winning 12 tackles this term to Lenglet’s eight, as well as making more interceptions and blocks with 10 of each to the Frenchman’s six interceptions and seven blocks.
Given the lacklustre level of performance that Lenglet put in at West Ham, it would be refreshing to see Emery mix up his defence, with Carlos deserving of a chance to show his worth once more this campaign.
