Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn is to face a late fitness test ahead of the Second City derby.
Dean Smith remained coy on the player’s availability ahead of the game following an injury sustained during the international break.
As reported by Birmingham Live, Smith refused to confirm that the Scot will be involved against their local rivals.
However, the good news for Villa is that defensive duo James Chester and Neil Taylor will be available to feature.
Chester and Taylor are out there training and ready but we want to give John longer. A grade 1 muscle strain can be a four-day problem or a four-week one. It depends on the body as all players are different.
McGinn was one of a number of high-profile dropouts from the Scotland squad, who suffered something of an injury crisis during the most recent round games in the Nations League.
Smith will be keen to have the player available for the derby game and appears willing to give him as much time to recover as possible before making a statement on his fitness.
