Dean Smith hopeful for double Aston Villa fitness boost

Both left-back Neil Taylor and midfielder Henri Lansbury could return for the third-round tie.

Taylor has not featured since suffering a hamstring injury in last month’s 2-2 draw with Albion, his absence meaning Smith has been forced to field Alan Hutton on the left.

Lansbury, meanwhile, has been limited to just two appearances this season, the second of those an injury-curtailed eight minute substitute appearance in November’s derby win over Blues.

The Arsenal youth product has endured a largely disappointing two years since joining Villa from Nottingham Forest.

But Smith has been impressed by his progress in training and is eager to see what he can do, with the head coach’s options in central midfield currently limited by injuries to Jack Grealish and Mile Jedinak.

After a hectic festive period which saw Villa play four games in 10 days, the boss is likely to rest both Conor Hourihane and John McGinn, after admitting both men fell short of their usual standards in the 2-2 New Year’s Day draw with QPR.

Smith said: “Conor and John have been two of our better players of late but I think the four games in 10 days probably took its toll. I didn’t think their quality (against QPR) was where it normally is.”

Tomorrow is the third meeting of the season between the two clubs, with Villa winning both previous clashes 1-0, including the recent Boxing Day clash.