Villa got back to winning ways thanks to a hard-fought victory against Fulham at Villa Park last Saturday afternoon.
This win, against a consistently good Championship side, moved Villa up to fifth in the table with twenty two points from their opening thirteen matches, just five points outside an automatic play-off place.
After having lost just once in their last nine matches, they are one of the form teams in the league, but, as the famous saying goes, form goes out the window this weekend as they take on local rivals Birmingham in the Second City Derby on Sunday afternoon.
Birmingham have been struggling this season, and, as a result, they currently sit just one point outside the relegation zone. However, they would consider their season to be going pretty well if they can turn this talented Villa side over.
Here is our predicted Villa XI for Sunday’s big clash with Birmingham:
GK: Sam Johnstone
Has been in top form lately and will definitely be starting.
RB: Ahmed Elmohamady
Has been playing well at right-back, and we don’t see Bruce benching him for this one.
CB: James Chester
Has been on top of his game recently, and he’s forming a solid partnership with Terry.
CB: John Terry
Has been showing us just how good he is, and there’s no way that Bruce will leave him out of this big match.
LB: Alan Hutton
Has been filling in for Taylor, and he has been doing a splendid job. Would be harsh to drop him for this one.
RM: Robert Snodgrass
Has been extremely solid down the right flank since he arrived at the club. Would be surprising to see him dropped for this one.
CM: Glenn Whelan
With Jedinak having just returned to training, Whelan will be given the position on Sunday.
CM: Conor Hourihane
Bruce will be hoping he can swing in some wicked set-pieces to cause disarray in the Birmingham box.
CM: Josh Onomah
Was the best player on the pitch against Fulham, and it would be harsh to drop him.
LM: Albert Adomah
Has been one of Villa’s star players this season, and Bruce will be hoping he can cause Birmingham’s defence all sorts of problems.
ST: Jonathan Kodjia
This was a difficult choice, but we reckon Bruce will plumb for experience on Sunday.