Today Aston Villa take on West Bromwich Albion in the reverse fixture of the West Midlands Derby. The controversial fixture was defined by a moment of poor officiating and today Villa will look to turn their season around with a positive performance against one of their local rivals. Previously: Back in early December when the two sides played out a 2-2 draw, Villa went in to that game having won four out of the last five games and only a ridiculous game that ended with 5 goals a piece at home to Nottingham Forest was the outlier. That preceded an impressive win away at Middlesbrough, but since then Dean Smith’s side have won only twice in the Championship. Let’s be honest if it wasn’t for a Jay Rodriguez hand-helped equaliser, Villa would have won the game and what was a decent winning run may have continued. Track Record: Aston Villa since the WBA game - P11 W2 D6 L3 WBA since the Villa game - P10 W5 D5 L2 Although both teams don’t mind a draw as of late, West Brom are an attacking force to be reckoned with. They have scored 62 goals with an xG (Expected Goals) of 51.26, however - their high intensity gung-ho approach when attacking has come at a price at the other end. Having conceded 40 goals with an xGA (Expected Goals Against) of 36.7 (albeit 5th best in the league) The Baggies can be found out as teams have discovered but achieving this is easier said than done, of course. West Brom are on a run of only having lost once in the last 7 games in the Championship, losing away at Blackburn. When playing away from The Hawthorns, they have scored 14 goals in the process and conceding just the 5 goals. Over the last 7 games, both at home and away, they have only won twice. A quick look at the two sides form in the last 7 games doesn’t give much away to what we can expect later: Aston Villa last 7 games - W1 D4 L1 GF10 GA12 West Brom last 7 games - W2 D3 L2 GF10 GA9 The teams have very similar records of late which may come as a surprise to some who think West Brom have this one in the bag already. And with both teams having a win percentage of 33% against each other more there is yet more food for thought. Probable Lineups: Probable Starting Lineups: Villa have dabbled under Dean Smith with a 4-3-3 shape but this generally ends up being a 4-1-4-1 formation especially when defending and to that end I can’t envisage a scenario that would see Dean Smith going with a starting place for Jonathan Kodija due to the fact West Brom like to play with Mason Holgate and Kieran Gibbs fairly high at full back. I think Smith may favour Andre Green due to his pace on the counter attack and his work rate defensively and with our attacking strengths in the wide areas this would be the way to go. This brings us on to the issue of who Smith prefers out wide on the right hand side. Albert Adomah, having been mildly unimpressive against Brentford last time out, may well be replaced for the game by Ahmed El Mohamady due to his defensive attributes although some may argue Adomah also has the qualities to do this job well enough. Preventing high quality chances has been Villa’s problem, with them having the 6th worst record for xGA in the Championship having conceded 50 goals with an xGA of 43.95. With West Brom well known for their ability to A) attack and create chances from wide areas and B) create high xG chances, protection will be needed for Alan Hutton and Neil Taylor (fitness permitting) in the Aston Villa full back positions hence the El Mohamady and Green selections. On The Counter: Darren Moore’s charges are well-versed in not only defending in an organised fashion but also in moving rapidly forward in the defensive-to-attacking transitions with Livermore and former Villa man Gareth Barry consistently recycling the ball in central midfield. Moore may well go with a 4-2-3-1 with the pair in a midfield two. The ban forced upon Dwight Gayle for diving means Hal Robson-Kanu will likely to the left centre forward position and The Baggies will miss Gayle pace on the counter for sure. As mentioned previously, Holgate and Gibbs love to raid forward from their full back positions in support of wide players. I can’t help but fear for Hutton and Taylor and the prospect of West Brom attempting to overload these areas especially down the Villa right. To that end if, and it’s a big if, Villa’s midfield five as well as Hutton and Taylor, can steal the ball in decent positions and be able to release Green or El Mohamady early enough there will be space in behind the West Brom full backs as shown below. Villa recycling the ball quickly and playing into wide, final third areas will be vital if they are sustain some attacking threat. It sounds simple but getting hold of the ball in theses scenarios will be difficult and this is an area in which Villa have struggled. Glenn Whelan is a holding midfielder but of late the quickness of play around him sees him struggling at times, as does Conor Hourihane perhaps, and much the same can be said for Mile Jedinak. For me, Whelan is still the best option in this area. This leaves John McGinn to do a great deal of running for his midfield partners. But with Gareth Barry not being the youngest and Livermore having a tempestuous relationship with tackling, McGinn will again be key in his passing choices out to Green and El Mohamady and the match way well be won or lost based on his decision making. Summary: This will be a lot tighter than many think and if Villa come away with a point I think Dean Smith wont be to displeased. Anything more than that may well be a bonus.<doc-sep>West Brom boss Darren Moore has made three changes for today’s crucial local derby against Aston Villa. The Baggies were fortunate to nick a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest last time out, with Dwight Gayle diving to win a late penalty. He has subsequently been banned for two games, with Hal Robson-Kanu coming in for the 16-goal striker. Elsewhere, there was more positive news for Moore, with Egyptian international Ahmed Hegazi overcoming an injury to return this afternoon. The final change made by Albion sees the experienced Gareth Barry come in for Stefan Johansen, with the on-loan Fulham man dropping to the bench. Victory at Villa Park could see West Brom close the gap on the top three, with the West Midlands side currently six points behind the automatic places, highlighting how important today is. And, it’s fair to say the XI has divided opinion among the supporters. Here’s some of the reaction on twitter… Had a chance to play natural wingers and bottled it ???? — Liam (@Liamdunn_95) February 16, 2019 I would have picked johansen instead of livermore, no pace in midfield — AknohS (@Shaun95710897) February 16, 2019 Kanu and Livermore well done big Dave ???? useless — TheRealWatto (@WattonCharlie) February 16, 2019 Happy with that. Keep it tight, let them chase the game and catch 'em on the break. — TheJackal (@Jackalbion) February 16, 2019 Happy with that… — lewishadley_20 (@gingie_hadley) February 16, 2019 Joke absolute joke. Why is that clown HRK starting? — L Albion (@LAlbion4) February 16, 2019 We’ve got this — George (@GCG619) February 16, 2019<doc-sep>After losing out midweek in heartbreaking fashion to Brentford, Dean Smith and Aston Villa will have to quickly bounce back as local rivals West Bromwich Albion come to visit. Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion for the most part seem to be two very similar footballing teams, but where Villa have hit the rocks, WBA have galvanised and pushed forward. Both seems are in similar spots of form over the past seven games though, with Albion taking the slight edge. Villa will have to find a tremendous amount of strength to do the same - and it’s going to be a hard task to turn the season around, but if any day could do it, then today is that day. A big thanks to Bennett Berry for creating all of our match-day images throughout the season. Give him a follow. We’re here. Kick-off commences soon, and you can find out how to watch Aston Villa vs West Bromwich Albion below. UTFV TV & Streaming Location: Villa Park, Birmingham, England Kick-off time: 15.00 UK, 10.00 Eastern, 7.00 Pacific Weather: 12c and mild in Brum Match Preview: Gareth Cooper broke down the game here Open Match Thread: Join in the comments below! Predictions welcome Available TV: N/A in the UK or US (please check worldwide listings), BeIn Sports 2 in Australia Available video streaming: AVTV Plus for International viewers, ESPN + in the USA Worldwide listings for Aston Villa: Here Other match listings are available from livesoccertv.com. Available radio: BBC WM 95.6 FM (not online), AVTV (If audio doesn’t work, try using Safari). Twitter: You can find our live updates @7500toHolte, and we’d also recommend @VillaReport for updates as well. Injuries & Suspensions Aston Villa will miss Jack Grealish, Ørjan Nyland, Axel Tuanzebe, Tom Carroll, James Chester and Henri Lansbury Aston Villa squad West Brom Squad Our team to face the Villa...@Hegazi, Gareth Barry and @RobsonKanu come into the side as Darren Moore makes three changes.#AVLWBA | #WBA pic.twitter.com/xIstpWbKci — West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) February 16, 2019 Live twitter stream<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Keep on top of the Villa - sign up here for free AVFC updates Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice An old rivalry resumes tomorrow when Aston Villa entertain West Brom at Villa Park. The Championship pair both need victories to keep the pressure on those above them with Dean Smith 's side still trying to get into the play-offs, and the Baggies hunting down automatic promotion. Both sets of supporters are fired up for the clash and there will be no love lost when the game gets underway. But where does this derby rank in terms of importance with the Villa fans? Is it as big as the Birmingham City games? This is what the fans think: Del Swadkins: I couldn't care less about the Tesco boys Phil Young: “Never has and never will be as big as the Villa Blues.. Karl Bowater : “All dependant on where you live. So many Villa fans live in the Black Country for us the Olbeyun game is a derby Darren Stringer: “Yeh, it’s was all about hating the Albion when i was a kid... Don’t know why/how it changed? Roger Davis: “Albion has NEVER been our most hated rival. Darren Hamilton: "It goes. Albion hate us Blues hate us Wolves hate us. Our only rivalry is Blues. The other two don't matter to most Villa fans. But they all hate/envy us. That's how it was, how it is, and how it will always be!" John Holder: Hate Blues more than anything.. Hate Albion for one reason only.... One horrendous cowardly tackle. Rob Carpman: " I think primarily it's a family thing. Mine is divided, as it has been back to the beginnings, between blues and Villa. There was nothing else, not a carrier bag in sight." Daniel Irv Thornton: “Never has been never will! Maybe for them but not for us!! UTV” Andy Prosser: “My wife and all her family are Baggies and they call us the Vile, they hate us more than we hate them.”<doc-sep>
Dean Smith has made two changes for today’s local derby against West Brom as his Aston Villa side look to get back to winning ways. Villa have picked up just 13 points in their last 12 games, which means they trail the top six by seven points. Therefore, if they are to have any hope of returning to the Premier League this season, they need to start winning games. And, the ex-Brentford boss has decided to bring in Ahmed Elmohamady and Andre Green down the flanks for the clash against the Baggies, with Anwar El Ghazi and Albert Adomah dropping to the bench. Smith will want a much-improved performance from his side after they were outplayed for large periods against Brentford last time out. That result angered supporters, with Kortney Hause among those to receive serious criticism, but he continues at left-back this afternoon. Here’s how some of the fans reacted after the XI was announced… Elmo over kodjia ffs. Can’t wait for more looping crosses to the corner flag. — Will Lawson (@willvillalawson) February 16, 2019 How about we don’t moan and just get behind the team eh? #UTV — Gemma (@Gemma1874) February 16, 2019 If it doesn't work for 12 games in a row why not try it again… — Harley (@PJ_Harley) February 16, 2019 only positive to take from that is green — ben harris (@Bxharris_5) February 16, 2019 Il get behind the team but Jesus Christ that’s woeful — Dan Blunt (@Dan_Blunt_) February 16, 2019 Oof. Hopefully wrong but that teams not going to be pretty. Not that we have many other options – apart from Keinan Davis. Where is he? #avfc — Matt Quinn (@Mattqu) February 16, 2019 I like trying something different out wide, don’t write off Elmo before the games started . Interesting picking Hause over Taylor though — Myles Osborn (@myles_osborn) February 16, 2019