Confirmed Aston Villa v Preston line-ups: Lansbury makes his debut

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Aston Villa host Preston North End in the Championship this afternoon…

Aston Villa starting line-up: Johnstone; Hutton, Chester, Baker, Amavi; Lansbury, Westwood; Green, Grealish, Adomah; Agbonlahor.

Aston Villa substitutes: Bunn, Richards, Elphick, Bacuna, Tshibola, Gardner, Davis.

Preston North End starting line-up: Maxwell; Vermijl, Huntington, Clarke, Spurr; Gallagher, Browne, Johnson, McGeady; Robinson; Hugill.

Preston North End substitutes: Lindegaard, Boyle, Grimshaw, Pringle, Horgan, Makienok, Beckford.

Steve Bruce’s Villa side head into today’s game having lost 1-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, and they now sit ten points off the play-off places.

Bruce has worked hard to bring in reinforcements, as Henri Lansbury joined the club from Nottingham Forest on Friday afternoon, and he’s thrown straight into the starting line-up today.

Fellow January arrival Sam Johnstone starts against his former club, having spent two loan spells with his hometown side, whilst Gabriel Agbonlahor leads the line, with Andre Green, Jack Grealish and Albert Adomah supporting him.

Alan Hutton, James Chester, Nathan Baker and Jordan Amavi form a familiar defence, whilst Ashley Westwood will partner Lansbury in the heart of midfield.

That leaves the likes of Micah Richards, Tommy Elphick, Leandro Bacuna, Aaron Tshibola and Gary Gardner on the bench.

Meanwhile, Preston are coming off the back of a superb 2-0 home win over Brighton and Hove Albion, and lie just six points outside the play-off places.

Manager Simon Grayson returns to Villa Park having featured for Villa during his playing days, and he brings two ex-Villa youngsters with him as Daniel Johnson and Callum Robinson both start for the Lilywhites.

Greg Cunningham is out through suspension, with Tommy Spurr coming in at left back, whilst Daryl Horgan drops out of the side to accommodate Johnson in midfield.

Preston are able to call upon Jermaine Beckford again after his return from suspension, and he’s named on the bench alongside recent signing Andy Boyle, as well as Ben Pringle and Simon Makienok among others.