Steven Gerrard called for a derby reaction from Aston Villa as they chase Wolves’ tails.
Villa have suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats to West Ham and Arsenal to all but end any lingering European hopes.
They go to Molineux on Saturday 10 points behind their hosts in the table and Gerrard wants to see improvement following the 1-0 home defeat to the Gunners before the international break.
“I’m looking for a reaction and a better level of performance over the 90 minutes. Wolves have been terrific this season,” he said.
“They’re well coached, they’re well organised, they’re always in games and they’ve got big talents throughout the squad.
“They’re above us in the league, we’ve got a game in hand and an opportunity to claw some points back, so it’s a big game for us.
“It’s always a game with a rivalry, and it’s very interesting for both sides. I’m really looking forward to the kick-off.”
Marvelous Nakamba remains out with a knee injury but Lucas Digne is fit again after a hamstring issue.
Gerrard added: “We’re a team that wants to go everywhere and win games, we want to be positive and bold. The message will be clear, we’re going to try and get the win that we want and that we need.
“Picking the bones out of it and analysing the group, there have been times away from home when we haven’t won where us being a bit grittier or having a bit more experience about us, we could have taken at least a point away.
“That was the case in the last away game (a 2-1 defeat at West Ham). The second half was a big improvement on the first and if we’d been a bit more clinical or creative in the final third, we might have taken a point out of that game.”
