Sheffield United vs Aston Villa: Time to deliver after embarrassment

While a win would be enough to keep Villa in the top four and at the very least in sight of the leaders, a draw or defeat would render their opening month no more than average and very likely placed in the middle of the pack.

The latter would be particularly unwelcome for manager Steve Bruce, who needs a reaction from his team following Tuesday’s humiliating Carabao Cup exit at Burton.

Villa’s first defeat of the campaign was one which will not be easily lived down. Yet while a defeat to Burton is always going to bring with it embarrassment, perhaps more important is the context, with the sub-par performance at the Pirelli Stadium coming on the back of some underwhelming displays in the league.

After kicking off the season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 1999, Villa had dropped points in disappointing fashion at Ipswich and again last week, at home to Reading.

Sandwiched in between was a thrilling 2-2 draw against Brentford, in which Bruce’s new-look team produced some of the best football seen at Villa Park for several years.

To date, however, that has been the only glimpse of this side’s undoubted potential, while the game also ended in a draw. After Burton, the pressure is on to quickly hit those heights again.

Bruce, visibly stung by the manner of Tuesday’s defeat, was quick to promise a much-improved performance at Bramall Lane.

Axel Tuanzebe is the only player who can be confident of surviving the expected cull, while the manager hopes to again have the influential trio of Jack Grealish, Jonathan Kodjia and John McGinn at his disposal.

No-one at Villa, not least Bruce, expects tomorrow’s game to be easy. Sheffield United narrowly missed out on the play-offs last term and are one of four teams, like Villa, with nine points from the opening five games. They are also in fine form, having won the last three league fixtures, with their canny manager Chris Wilder claiming tomorrow amounts to a ‘free hit’ for his team.

“We’ve got a great game coming up, one where we’ve got nothing to lose and where we can go out and really enjoy it,” he said.

“If we can get something then we have had a pretty good start to the season.

“I don’t want us to be a spike side. One who thinks ‘we’ve had a couple of wins so we can drop off.

“We try and set them up and make decisions. They, the players, are the ones who go out there and do the business. When things go well, they deserve the credit.”

Former Wolves striker Leon Clarke is a doubt for the hosts through injury.

Scott Hogan, the Villa striker who Wilder has spent the summer trying to sign on loan, will not feature due to a groin injury regardless of any developments prior to this evening’s deadline.

Keinan Davis (groin) will also miss out for Villa.