Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce admits Wolverhampton Wanderers are the “ones to catch” in the Championship.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has admitted to the Birmingham Mail that their West Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers are the best team in the Championship.
The Villans are in fine form themselves, having won three of their last four matches to climb to fifth in the table, but are still nine points behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s pacesetters.
Bruce’s side were one of the pre-season favourites for promotion and while he has confessed that Wolves are now the team to catch, the 56-year-old has warned that there is a long way to go.
Asked whether Wolves are the best team in the Championship right now, Bruce told the Birmingham Mail: “Wolves at the moment you would have to say that yes.
“But we’re only a third of the way through the season. It’s a long winter. And the crucial part is the winter. December is a big month and January is important, too.
“In the Championship, it can all change within a week. I’m not too concerned about Wolves. They’re doing very well but we want to focus on ourselves. There’s a long way to go and they’re the ones to catch.”
Villa have already been to Molineux and suffered defeat this season, with second-half goals from summer signings Diogo Jota and Leo Bonatini earning Wolves a 2-0 victory.
The reverse fixture at Villa Park takes place in March, by which time Villa will be hoping to have made up some ground in the race to go up automatically to the Premier League.
In the meantime, Ipswich Town are Villa’s visitors this weekend.
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