Aston Villa will face off against Fulham on Saturday in the Championship playoff final, looking to earn a route back to the Premier League. The Villans put on a defensive masterclass against Middlesbrough in the playoff semis earlier this month which will give them the confidence to keep it tight at the back versus Slaviša Jokanović’s free-scoring London team.
Both teams are enjoying a rich vein of form in the league of late and will give it their all on the pitch during this match. This encounter has the makings of a great final but only time will tell which team comes out on top this weekend.
The recent history of this fixture makes a grim reading for the Villa supporters as the West Midlands outfit have suffered four defeats in their past six meetings with the Londoners. Villa boss Steve Bruce is expected to opt for a 4-5-1 formation and will be sweating on the fitness of Ahmed Elmohamady ahead of this game.
4-5-1 Aston Villa Predicted Lineup To Face Fulham
Defence
Sam Johnstone will start in goal for the Villans and might be protected by a back four consisting of James Chester and John Terry in central defence while Ahmed Elmohamady plays at right-back and Alan Hutton operates on the left side of the Villa defence.
The Villans backline are yet to concede a goal in this Championship playoffs and Steve Bruce will now hope that his defenders can keep the Cottagers attack at bay on Saturday afternoon.
Midfield
Mile Jedinak is expected to be deployed as a deep-lying defensive midfielder while the duo of Jack Grealish and Conor Hourihane plays in front of the Australian international at the centre of the park. Jedinak got his name on the scoresheet in the first leg against Middlesbrough and will look to repeat the feat versus Slaviša Jokanović’s side this weekend.
Aston Villa’s midfield maestro Albert Adomah will put in a shift on the left side of the midfield, looking to add to his goal tally of 15 goals in this campaign. Robert Snodgrass will try to cut in on his stronger left foot and create some opportunities for his teammates in the opposition half while playing down the right wing.
Attack
Lewis Grabban is expected to lead the lines for the Villans up top. His last league goal came against Derby County last month so he is currently struggling to find confidence in front of goal. However, the English striker is Villa’s top scorer and has 20 league goals to his name so we can expect another strong showing from him on Saturday.
