Wolves v Villa preview: Three key battles ahead of West Midlands derby

We take a look at three head-to-heads that could have a big say on tomorrow’s clash.

Dawson v Watkins

Julen Lopetegui has put a big emphasis on keeping clean sheets, and Wolves will probably need to keep Ollie Watkins quiet to make that a reality.

At the heart of Wolves’ defence, the experienced Craig Dawson will be key to stopping Watkins’ advances and keeping Wolves in the game.

The Villa striker has been on wonderful form of late and has 14 league goals to his name this season.

His form has been central to Villa making their European charge and as he drifts out to the left he will likely find himself needing to get the best of right centre-back Dawson, who has had a big impact for Wolves since signing.

Neves v McGinn

The midfield battle is always a key one in most games, and even more so for derby clashes.

Ruben Neves and John McGinn will be battling for control of the game and the winner may help his side to victory.

The Villa man will be eager to break forward from midfield, while Neves will need to stop him and get on the ball, to help Wolves control the pace of the game.

Not only that, but a vintage Neves performance will add the quality needed for Wolves to get a result.

Costa v Mings

Diego Costa struggled and came off at half-time against Brighton, but has shown a big improvement in his performances in recent weeks.

As a result, he is likely to start again and he is expected to come up against Tyrone Mings.

It will certainly be a physical battle between this pair. Costa will be desperate to make life hard for Mings and put him under pressure, while the Villa defender will hope to utilise his team-mates in isolating the Wolves striker. A big factor in that, too, will be whether Wolves play Matheus Cunha with Costa, or play a lone striker.