Dean Smith is one game away from guiding Aston Villa back to the Premier League.
Nigel Spink has backed Aston Villa to ‘come through’ during their Championship play-off final encounter against Derby County on Monday afternoon.
The 1982 European Cup winner has admitted that he is concerned by Derby’s upturn in form, whilst he questioned whether Villa have ‘lost confidence’ following their semi-final showing against West Brom.
Dean Smith’s side needed penalties to beat their Midland rivals, who sat 10 men behind the ball for the majority of the two legs as Villa struggled to break them down.
Speaking to BBC Radio West Midlands Football Phone-in (24/05/2019), former Villa goalkeeper Spink shared his thoughts on the up and coming showdown at Wembley.
“It’s a huge game,” Spink told BBC Radio WM. “I think Villa will come through. I don’t think we’ll see the same Derby we saw at Villa Park in the league encounter a couple of months ago.
“What is a bit of a concern is Derby are on a little bit of upturn with form and with Villa, the West Brom thing makes you wonder whether they have lost their confidence a little bit. I thought they would actually do better against West Brom.
“If the two teams turn up and play at their capacity then I think Villa have got more than Derby, but that’s not a given – it’s going to be very interesting. I hope Derby go open because Dean Smith won’t change the way he plays and it’ll make for a fantastic spectacle.”
It wouldn’t surprise many if it is an end-to-end game on Monday because both Smith and Derby boss Frank Lampard like to play open and attacking football.
Derby come into this match having scored four goals at Elland Road to book their Wembley place, as they no doubt surprised many with their performance and comeback against Leeds.
As for Villa, towards the end of the regular season, they went on a 10-game winning run, which included beating Derby, as that run helped them secure their place in the top-six.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
