Aston Villa, like they were this time last season, are just one win away from a return to the Premier League after three long and arduous seasons in the Championship.
Villa fell at the final hurdle last year as they were beaten 1-0 by Fulham, but there is much more optimism in the air this time around than there was 12 months ago.
Back then Villa were playing defensive and boring football under Steve Bruce, but Dean Smith has got them playing attacking football that has seen them win 11, draw one and lose just two of their last 14 matches.
Frank Lampard’s Derby might have just scraped into the play-offs and might have been beaten by Villa 3-0 and 4-0 during the season, but their second leg performance against Leeds shows that Smith’s men cannot afford to show any complacency.
Here is our predicted Villa XI for tomorrow’s play-off final:
