Aston Villa are set to take on Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium for the first leg of the first playoff in this season’s Sky Bet Championship. The Villains finished 4th to Boro’s 5th and the two sides will now have 180 minutes to compete for a place in the playoffs final.
Both teams have a fantastic defensive structure which means that the match is set to be a cagey affair. Villa boss Steve Brue will know that playing away at Boro will be a tricky affair and his first agenda on the night will be to not lose the match. He is likely to set up a midfield oriented team to win the battle in the middle of the park.
It will also help him slow down the tempo of the match to his liking and wait for Villa to hit on the break. This is how he might set his team up for the all-important first leg.
Formation: 4-4-1-1
Defence
Manchester United’s on-loan goalkeeper Sam Johnstone is set to return in goal for Villa who will want know that chances in this match will be at a premium and hence Johnstone can ill afford to make any mistakes.
Egyptian winger Ahmed El Mohamedy will be seen playing at right back for Aston Villa while the experienced right-back Alan Hutton could be moved to left back for the crucial tie. John Terry is a doubt for the match but could be set to feature as Villa will want a man of such experience on the pitch in a game of this magnitude. Terry is set to be partnered by James Chester.
Midfield
A five-man midfield could be sent out by Steve Bruce to deal with the midfield battles against Middlesbrough. Albert Adomah could be seen on the left wing while his partner could be Robert Snodgrass operating from the right-hand side.
Conor Hourihane is set to play as one of the central midfielders and he might be partnered by Irishman Glenn Whelan. The influential Jack Grealish should be set up ahead of them as it will be down to him to create the openings with his passing on the night.
Attack
The brilliant Lewis Grabban who has scored over 20 goals this season will be set to lead the line and he will have to be at his ruthless best to take advantage of any chance that might come his throughout the match.
