Aston Villa aim to continue historically good run against rivals Birmingham City

At least in terms of league fixtures, Villa have never had it so good against Blues as the current sequence of 11 games unbeaten, which dates back to October 2005.

Not since the early years of this now nearly 140-year rivalry have Blues had to wait so long, at least in terms of minutes on the pitch, to get one over on their rivals.

Villa went unbeaten through the first ten league meetings – the first of which took place in September 1894 – before Blues (known as Small Heath in those early fixtures) registered their first win in September 1905.

Since then the head-to-head record has been far more even, both clubs enjoying their periods of dominance. Villa’s better record of 46 league wins compared to Blues’ 36 is in large part down to those earliest and most recent fixtures.

Only a few weeks ago, the smart money would have been on Villa collecting win No.47 tomorrow, so hapless did their rivals appear to be anytime they left B9.

Prior to winning at Reading on January 2, Blues had taken just three points from their opening 12 league fixtures and scored a paltry five goals.

Yet their current record on the road stands at four unbeaten, while last weekend saw them net three times in the first 45 minutes to romp to victory at Sheffield Wednesday.

Such statistics are unlikely to be cause for huge concern among a Villa squad which has recently – and understandably – attained the swagger generally associated with genuine promotion contenders.

It does, however, mean that both teams are entering the game in their most confident moods of the season. A haul of 13 points from the last six league games has provided Steve Cotterill’s men with breathing space over the relegation places for the first time in months. Their battle is far from won, of course, yet the pressure has eased significantly compared to only a few weeks ago.

For Villa, the pressure is always intense. A six-game winning streak has boosted esteem and brought Steve Bruce’s team to the brink of the automatic promotion places. But there remains an awfully long way to go and from now on, every advance and setback will appear of ever greater significance.

Not for the first time this season, Villa play later than their promotion rivals and by kick-off will know what short-term gains can be made.

For the most part, they have been very good at taking advantage and have generally beaten those teams they are favoured to beat.

Tomorrow is another such occasion but like most meetings between these old and fierce rivals, the margin between success and failure are likely to be slim.