Aston Villa predicted line-up vs. Wolves - five big changes made with £52m forward a major doubt

It’s been a pretty good week so far for Aston Villa, having thumped Brighton & Hove Albion 6-1 last Saturday before a late John McGinn winner gave them the points in their Europa Conference League group stage game against Bosnian outfit Zrinjski Mostar – but it’s not all been good news for Unai Emery ahead of their trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon.

Two important players were injured during the victory over the Seagulls and while they aren’t expected to be out for the long-term, there’s every chance that they’re unavailable to feature at the Molineux – and with several players stuck on the treatment table for the foreseeable future, Emery may be drawing from a slightly thinner squad than he’d like.

Let’s round up all the latest team news and injury updates ahead of the game against Wolves and provide you with our best stab at a predicted starting XI for the Premier League showdown.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Villa aren’t expected to have any fresh injury concerns when it comes to their defence, with Diego Carlos fit to play 82 minutes against Zrinjski on Thursday evening after coming back from a minor knock.

Assuming no other injuries are detected in the wake of the European match, Emery will have everyone bar long-term absentee Tyrone Mings available, although Alex Moreno is unlikely to feature as he returns to full fitness following a serious injury of his own – the Spanish full-back is back in training, however, so should be ready to play in the near future.

Midfield

Boubacar Kamara was replaced late on in the thrashing of Brighton after suffering what Villa believe to be a minor muscular injury, and while Emery has since said that it was “hopefully not important” the French defensive midfielder did miss Thursday night’s game and is touch-and-go ahead of Sunday.

Jacob Ramsey is also unlikely to start as he continues his recovery from a metatarsal injury sustained over the summer with England’s Under-21s, but he was able to play just over half an hour against Brighton before being rested for the midweek fixture. Leon Bailey appears to have fully recovered from a minor injury given that he unexpectedly started on Thursday night, but Tim Iroegbunam and Emiliano Buendía are both still out for the long haul.

Forwards

The big doubt for Villa’s attack is record signing Moussa Diaby, who was rested for the game against Zrinjski after coming off with a knock against Brighton. Emery has since said that he endured “some pain” but that he didn’t “think it was relevant for the next games”. We can expect an update in Emery’s pre-match press conference, but early signs seem to point towards the Frenchman being able to play at least some part in the game against Wolves.

There are no other injuries or suspensions to keep track of so far as we know, so Ollie Watkins should be able to celebrate his recall to the England squad with something approaching a full supporting cast.

Martínez; Digne, Torres, Konsa, Cash; McGinn, Luiz, Tielemans, Bailey; Diaby, Watkins.