Wolves boss Bruno Lage braced for tough Villa clash

Steven Gerrard’s team make the short journey to Molineux tomorrow looking for revenge following Wolves’ 3-2 comeback win in the reverse fixture earlier this season.

Villa had Dean Smith in charge that day and Lage is expecting a different, but difficult, test in tomorrow’s clash.

“It’s another big challenge,” Lage said.

“They have a new manager and are playing in a different way with a different style.

“They play a diamond with three midfielders and Coutinho in front of them, with both strikers in front. They give us a different approach but we will be ready to play in our way.

“We are excited to see the way we play against Leeds (in the first half) and the way we play against them (Villa). I think it will be a great game.

“Both teams want to play with the ball. Good teams want to improve every time and I think it will be a good challenge and one more good test for us to see how long we can go with this approach and the way we are playing.”

A win would put Wolves back on track in their hunt for Europe, as they currently sit two points off seventh.

But when asked if European football is the reward he is craving this season, Lage insists he is more concerned with the evolution of his side.

“The reward in the end is not just about the result, but to learn with the things we’re doing every time in training and in games,” he added.

“We are learning a lot. When we played Crystal Palace in the first game that gave us a lot in December, January and February.

“When we played against them (the second time) we made the same mistakes and after that we learned a lot.

“I’m excited for the game against Aston Villa because the reward is to learn and continue to play the way we want to play.

“The reward will be the improvement we did with the team, the improvement the players did themselves and the way they want to play and for me, the reward will be the massive experience I have this season as a manager.

“Every opponent gives me a lot of work to do and that’s the big experience in my life, to compete here. 20 teams with 20 managers and every time there’s different styles to play and a different approach.

“There’s top players every time to compete against. Top managers with different ideas.

“The reward for us will be that. The target until the end of the season will be to play the way we want to play with big confidence and no fear. Play with the ball and the goals, the points and the performance will come.”