Aston Villa booked their place in the Championship play-off final after beating Middlesbrough over two legs, and are due to face Fulham at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
The Villans secured a 0-1 away win at the Riverside Stadium in the first leg and a goalless stalemate at the Villa Park in the second leg kept them in the race of getting promoted to the Premier League.
Slavisa Jokanovic’s side have been absolutely fantastic to watch this season in the Championship and there is no denying that Steve Bruce’s men have to work really hard to outclass Fulham.
Bruce will be expecting to have a full squad to pick his starting XI from. Ahmed Elmohamady picked up a muscular injury in the first leg against the Smoggies and missed the return fixture. He is expected to be fit for the final.
Here is how we expect Bruce to roll out his starting line-up against the London based outfit.
Sam Johnstone has been exceptional under the bar for Aston Villa. He has garnered 47 appearances to his name and mustered commendable outings more often than not and he is expected to start once again.
Elmohamady is likely to replace James Bree at right-back. The Egyptian international has catered to the offensive and defensive aspects in a decent manner and deserves to start this weekend. Meanwhile, Alan Hutton should keep his place on the left.
James Chester and John Terry were resilient and exemplary from the central defence against Tony Pulis’ men and these two are likely to be paired once again. These two centre-backs have been amongst the best players for Aston Villa this season.
Mile Jedinak is anticipated to operate as the central defensive midfielder. The Aussie international will aim to cushion the back line and keep things neat and tidy in the middle.
While Robert Snodgrass is expected to operate from the right flank, Albert Adomah is likely to be given the green light to start on the opposite flank to render his offensive tooth in the final third.
Jack Grealish has been a vital cog in Aston Villa’s attacking endeavours and he is set to start once again alongside Conor Hourihane. Both of them have been impressive of late.
Lewis Grabban has plundered 8 goals in 17 appearances in the Championship and he is set to operate as the striker against the Cottagers in this winner-takes-all match.
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