Wolves v Aston Villa: Keane to make impact against first club
Published:Robbie Keane is in line to make his first Premier League start for Aston Villa and there is a strong possibility that he will find the target in a victory over his first club Wolves.
Keane made over 80 first-team appearance for Wolves when breaking through as a trainee in 1997 before being sold to Coventry for £6m.
His career has taken him here, there and everywhere since, with Aston Villa offering him a two-month loan deal while the MLS is enjoying its close season.
The Irish striker was limited to a ten-minute cameo in his first Villa appearance against Everton, but given the size of his salary, Alex McLeish will not waste time picking him in his starting 11.
Keane is 6/1 to strike first against Wolves and a reasonable 7/4 to score at any point within the 90 minutes.
Aston Villa may have only won five league games all season, but in terms of their recent form they are more likely to obtain a result on their travels than at home.
Villa are unbeaten in their last four Premier League away games and home wins are especially rare in their clashes with midlands rivals.
Only one of the last seven encounters between the pair have ended with the hosts taking the three points.
Aston Villa’s odds are 7/4 to beat Wolves, with the draw priced at 9/4.
Mick McCarthy will demand a response after Wolves’ surprise FA Cup defeat to another midlands club Birmingham in midweek and it is 6/4 that they beat Villa.
Wolves also have Steven Fletcher in their ranks, who has scored seven goals in his last nine Premier League starts, and Matt Jarvis who scored in both games against Villa last season.
With Wolves having a tendency to pick up points from losing positions, Jarvis to net at any time at 4/1 may be decent value.
