Garry Monk says Gary Gardner will not play against Aston Villa

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Aston Villa will face Birmingham City in the Second City derby this weekend.

Birmingham City manager Garry Monk has told the club’s official website that Aston Villa refused to give them permission for Gary Gardner to play this weekend.

Villa will take on Birmingham away from home at St Andrew’s in the Championship on Sunday afternoon.

Gardner joined the Blues on loan from the Villans in the summer of 2018.

Birmingham manager Monk has revealed that Villa will not allow the 26-year-old central midfielder to play against them in the Second City derby.

The Englishman told Birmingham’s official website about Gardner: “We did ask, it was a short conversation, a straight ‘No’ from Aston Villa – to be expected. It does not really make a difference, it is what it is. It wasn’t in his contract.”

Big game

Both Birmingham and Villa are challenging for the Championship playoffs this season, and the Second City derby promises to be hugely entertaining and very exciting.

While the Blues are just four points off the Championship playoff spots, the Villas are six points behind sixth-placed Bristol City; the losers on Sunday could be well out of the top-six race.

According to WhoScored, Gardner has made 30 starts and one substitute appearance in the Championship for Villa so far this season, scoring one goal and providing two assists in the process.