Aston Villa v Preston: Steve Bruce out to stop history repeating

Now, two years and one day on, history is repeating itself, though Steve Bruce will be hoping for a different fate to that which befell Roberto Di Matteo in what proved to be his final game in charge.

The 2-0 defeat at Deepdale saw the Italian’s tenure brought to an end after just 124 days.

Just how near the edge Bruce, his replacement, has drifted during a run of just one win in eight games remains difficult to determine, yet it would be reasonable to presume a defeat tonight would further thin the ice under his feet.

The 57-year-old has made a far better fist of managing Villa than Di Matteo. But the parallels with two years ago do not end with the opposition. Di Matteo’s major failing was that he never found the right balance for his team, after a summer of major change following Villa’s relegation from the Premier League.

It is fair to say Bruce is now faced with a similar problem. Friday’s 1-1 draw at Bristol City left the manager convinced he is close to cracking the formula but while Villa were improved at Ashton Gate, their performance still fell some way short of the type to be expected from a team which possesses such undoubted quality.

The chief issue for Bruce remains how to get the best out of the attacking players at his disposal, while developing the defensive rigidity required for any serious push for promotion.

Until now the balance has remained elusive. Villa have had no trouble finding the net and are yet to be shut-out this season. On the flip side, they only have one clean sheet and have paid the price for a series of sloppy mistakes.

Questions are being asked, not for the first time, of goalkeeper Orjan Nyland after the Norwegian’s error allowed Josh Brownhill to open the scoring on Friday night.

Back-to-back fixtures against the division’s bottom two - with Villa heading to Millwall on Saturday - may in some respects have arrived in the nick of time for Bruce.

Yet in reality the struggles of both opponents only serves to ramp up the pressure. Victory tonight, against a Preston team who have conceded at least three goals in each of their last four games, is not only expected by demanded by a fanbase now rapidly losing patience.

Few would have predicted the Lilywhites, who missed out on the play-offs by just three points last season, to be bottom of the table at this stage.

But a perfect storm of injuries, suspensions and poor form means their manager, Alex Neil, also enters the game in urgent need of a victory.

Neil’s mood won’t have been improved by the news midfielder Josh Harrop suffered a season-ending knee injury in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Albion.

Paul Gallagher faces a late fitness test after missing the loss to the Baggies with a back injury, though Manchester City loanee Lukas Nmecha should return.