Steve Bruce in awe as Aston Villa head for Boxing Day sell-out

The visiting Brewers may be the smallest club in the Championship, but 37,500 tickets have been sold so far to see Villa take on the Staffordshire outfit at Villa Park.

And former Hull City boss Bruce hopes to reward those supporters not just with three points, but a charge towards the play-offs in the second half of the season.

He said: "I'd like to thank the fans who came down to QPR to support us. I thought they were wonderful. I have been told we're edging towards a full house on Boxing Day against Burton. That tells you everything you need to know about our club. It could be 42,500 and against Burton – no disrespect to them – that's a quite remarkable turnout."

The Holte End is now completely sold out for Burton, while there are only single seats in most areas of the ground – except Trinity Road Upper.

Villa had closed the Trinity Road Upper this season in anticipation of smaller gates, but with the Burton game heading for a bumper attendance, have opened the section for the first time this season.

Meanwhile, striker Rudy Gestede could be set for a move away from Villa, according to reports. Premier League duo Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace are said to be interested, with Boro particularly keen as they would like to sign a back-up for Alvaro Negredo. Gestede has scored 10 goals in 54 outings for Villa.

Villa are, meanwhile, hopeful of tying down teenage starlet Rushian Hepburn-Murphy. The 18-year-old, out of contract at the end of the season, has been linked with Manchester City and Rangers but the club are increasingly confident a deal can be agreed.