The festive season is upon us, and we’d like our first present in the form of three points against Sheffield United. Doesn’t seem like much to ask, given that their recent run of form is worse than ours. And if we’d like to stay in the playoff places a week Monday, a win is rather obviously what we need. I find myself saying that every week, and it’s getting more true as time goes by.
To say Villa’s 0-2 loss to Derby was underwhelming would be an understatement. In the first of two consecutive matches with the teams on either side of us in the table, Villa failed to produce the goods.
Villa head to Pride Park to take on Derby County. If nothing else, this fixture and Sheffield United following will not only have a bearing on whether we remain in the playoff mix come the new year, they’ll also tell us something about our prospects if we do make the playoffs.
Villa’s three-game winning streak was interrupted last Friday night with a draw away to Leeds, and today sees Millwall, currently 17th, coming to Villa Park. With Sheffield United and Bristol playing each other, it’s an opportunity to pick up an important three points. Then again, from here on out, pretty much every match carries the same weight.
We thought Ipswich might be a good barometer of Villa’s actual strengths, and in the end they posed no real danger. Will Leeds? We’re about to find out.
