Aston Villa v West Brom - Match Preview

This would be a tough match to be judged upon on whether you keep your job or not, but Aston Villa manager, Dean Smith, is coming under increasing pressure in the Villa hot-seat following their midweek 1-0 defeat at Brentford.

Following that defeat, Aston Villa now sit in 10th place in the Championship and seven points adrift of the play-off pack as they prepare for a massive west midlands clash with high-flying West Brom at Villa Park this Saturday afternoon.

The hosts come into this crucial encounter having recorded just one league win from their last eight matches in the second tier which was a 2-1 home win over Ipswich Town, but defeats against Wigan Athletic and Brentford, along with no fewer than five draws within this period have really held the hosts back from making an impact on the top six.

It’s worth mentioning that Villa’s two recent defeats were both away from home, while at Villa Park they’ve lost just twice all season and head into this west midlands derby with a four match unbeaten run on home soil.

Aston Villa have drawn three of these last four though, and they’re tied with Ipswich Town (8) for the highest number of stalemates at home in the Championship this season to date.

Fourth placed West Brom have also had to endure a frustrating period of results recently as The Baggies have managed just two league wins from their last seven matches played, which were both away from home at Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic respectively.

The visitors have also suffered defeats to Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough as well which were both registered against them at The Hawthorns, so the short trip to Aston Villa may not faze them too much and like their recent trip to Stoke City, could work in their favour again here.

With six wins from their last seven away matches, West Brom certainly seem more relaxed and happier away from the pressure of being the hosts at The Hawthorns but will be walking into a tense and highly charged local derby on Saturday.

West Bromwich will be very aware of the chasing teams behind them in the shape of Bristol City, Middlesbrough and Derby County and they’ll certainly be keen not lose this one and potentially give up ground on their rivals.

Despite their recent problems, Aston Villa will be up for this local derby and manager Dean Smith will be desperate for his side to produce a response following the defeat at Brentford, while West Brom will be looking for more of the same of their result at Stoke.

The local derby element tends to water down any previous trends of results, and this could well end up being yet another draw at Villa Park.