Steve Bruce has experienced quite the turnaround with Aston Villa this season, but what do their next five fixtures hold in store for them?
Steve Bruce’s Aston Villa currently sit fourth in the Championship, having dropped a couple of places following a few poor results, previously making it as high as second place after match day 31.
As it stands, the Villans are level on points with third place Fulham, who edge the Midlands team on goal difference by a single strike, whilst both clubs are seven points behind Cardiff City, who have a game in hand to play.
As a result, with eight games to go before the end of the league season, Villa’s most realistic chance of winning promotion will be via the play-offs, unless both Cardiff and Fulham completely capitulate to pave the way for Bruce’s men to clinch second spot.
In their upcoming five games, Villa are set to play Hull City, Reading, Norwich City, Cardiff City and Leeds United, not an easy run of fixtures by any means.
Hull, Reading, Norwich and Leeds should present great opportunities to pick up all three points, however, you would have said the same about their losses to QPR and Bolton, who sit in a near identical positions to the teams mentioned above.
Regardless, on paper, Cardiff presents the only significantly difficult fixture for Villa to get through, with Bruce’s men keen to gain revenge on the Welsh outfit for an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at the Cardiff City Stadium on the second match day of the campaign back in early August.
In any case, here are the predictions for Aston Villa’s next five fixtures…
Hull City on the 31st March should present an easily winnable fixture for Steve Bruce and his side. Hull currently sit 18th, and drew with Villa on the opening day of the season, however, the Claret and Blue Army are a whole different outfit at this stage in the season, and will prove difficult for Nigel Adkins’ men to defeat.
Prediction: Win
Following the trip to Hull, Villa will play hosts to Reading, who have endured a tough season after a promising campaign last term. Again, the fixture should be a guaranteed win for Bruce, but it should be noted that Reading did get the better off of the Villans in the first meeting between the two sides this season. Nevertheless, it is hard to see beyond a three point haul for Villa.
Prediction: Win
A trip to Carrow Road to face Norwich City should also be a textbook victory for Aston Villa. The Lions recorded their first league victory of the season against the Canaries, and despite Norwich putting up a decent fight this season in 13th, Bruce’s men should run out probably victors.
Prediction: Win
Arguably the toughest remaining fixture in Villa’s season, before the play-offs, Bruce will host old rival Neil Warnock as automatic promotion vying Cardiff make the trip to Villa Park. The game will likely be a cagey affair, with neither team wanting to be on the losing end, and as a result, both teams splitting the points is a fairly likely outcome.
It will be interesting to see whether or not Villa can make a late push to seal automatic promotion, with this game being a potential late turning point in the season.
Prediction: Draw
In the last game of the five predictions, Villa play host to Leeds which should be a simple enough victory for the home side. Leeds have looked a real threat at times this season, however, consistency is key in the Championship for promotion chasing teams, and despite their shaky start, the Villans have generally demonstrated just that.
Prediction: Win
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