Matt Maher: An intriguing weekend ahead for our Premier League trio

While the derby between Wolves and Villa at Molineux may shed more light on the prospects of two teams who to this point have remained hard to fathom, Albion travel to Newcastle with the pressure once more rising on boss Slaven Bilic.

It is easy to have sympathy for the Baggies boss. The considerably-shortened close season and a budget made even tighter by the pandemic meant this always had the look of being a tough season. A relegation battle could hardly be deemed unexpected.

Still, things are not going well. The optimism created by sturdier performances against Tottenham, Manchester United and Sheffield United quickly exploded by last Sunday’s 5-1 thumping at the hands of Crystal Palace, a team who, prior to kick-off, Albion would have identified among those mid-table outfits with the potential to be dragged into the relegation scrap.

Not even the now apparently customary crucial VAR call against the Baggies could excuse the second-half collapse, a point Bilic was honest enough to make during the post-match interviews.

Newcastle, whose preparations for the match might politely be described as disrupted at best following the coronavirus outbreak, would appear the ideal opposition for a team desperate to get back on track.

But on the other hand it also raises the stakes. Albion will head to Tyneside with a degree of expectation on their shoulders and another poor result, ahead of fixtures against Manchester City, Villa and Liverpool, would only place further scrutiny on Bilic.

There is considerably less pressure at present on Dean Smith and Nuno Espirito Santo, though both enter Saturday’s derby hoping their teams can bounce back from disappointing results. Villa lost 2-1 at West Ham last time out despite an impressive overall performance, while Wolves were soundly beaten 4-0 by Liverpool.

The biggest headache would appear to belong to Nuno, who must find the most effective way for his team to play without Raul Jimenez while addressing some wildly contrasting performances.

Barring a poor half-hour against Leeds, Villa’s displays have been more consistent yet it is the little things letting them down and ensured results remain erratic. The question is whether a fortnight on the training ground has allowed Smith to iron out the creases.