Dean Smith’s Aston Villa and Frank Lampard’s Derby County will face each other in the Championship playoff final today.
Villa will take on Derby at Wembley Stadium in London in the Championship playoff final in a few hours’ time.
Jordan believes that the Rams will get the better of the Villans and will clinch promotion to the Premier League.
The former Palace chairman has backed 24-year-old striker Jack Marriott to play a key role for Derby coming off the substitutes’ bench.
Jordan has also hailed current Sheffield Wednesday manager Steve Bruce for the impact he made on Jack Grealish, who is one of the best attacking players in the Championship.
Jordan said on the Drive show on talkSPORT (6:37pm, May 24, 2019): “I have got Jack Marriott. I just think he is a bit talismanic for them given what happened in the playoff semi-final against Leeds. I think he is a very capable player. I think he probably thinks he probably should start in this game, he will not.”
Jordan added: “I think this boy coming off the bench and maybe creating some havoc when the game is stretched might be pivotal to the success that I believe Derby will have in this game.”
The former Palace chairman said about Grealish: “I think he has matured, I think he has got bags and bags of quality. I would like to see him get further up the pitch and be a bit more dangerous in that last third of the pitch that he sometimes is, but he never seems to waste a ball.
“He has got a key pass in him. I think Steve Bruce, despite people’s criticism of him at Villa, obviously my former manager, got Grealish’s head back on.”
Stats
Marriott has made 19 starts and 16 substitute appearances in the Championship for Derby this season, scoring nine goals and providing four assists in the process, according to WhoScored.
According to WhoScored, Grealish, 23, has scored six goals and provided seven assists in 33 Championship appearances for the Villans this season.
Praise for Jed Steer
Meanwhile, Villa manager Dean Smith has praise Jed Steer for his performances for the Villans since his return from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic in the middle of the season.
Smith told Villa’s official website about Steer: “He can take great credit in them getting there, but more so in us getting to Wembley. His chance came along after injury to Ørjan Nyland and Lovre Kalinic.
“He was ready for it, he worked hard with Neil Cutler and he’s improved. He’s got confidence. As have the players around him.”
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