The Second City Derby returns to the Championship fixture list with both Aston Villa and Birmingham City on an equal points tally.

While the Blues are mirroring a bang-average Championship side (and let’s be honest, that’s a massive improvement for that lot) Villa are looking to push on under the leadership of Head Coach Dean Smith.

That can only happen with a win against their closest rivals. This is perhaps the most important Second City Derby for Aston Villa in a long, long time (it’s been important for Blues, who were almost relegated twice off the back of losing the derby).

A big thanks to Bennett Berry for creating all of our match-day images throughout the season. Give him a follow.

We’re here. Kick-off commences soon, and you can find out how to watch Villa vs Blues

UTFV

TV & Streaming

Location: Villa Park, Birmingham

Kick-off time: 12.00 pm UK, 7.00 am Eastern, 4.00 am Pacific

Weather: 6c in Aston.

Open Match Thread: Join in the comments below! Predictions welcome.

Available TV: Sky Sports Football

Available video streaming: ESPN + for US viewers. Sky Go and NOW TV for UK viewers. BeIn Sports in Australia.

Other listings are available from livesoccertv.com.

Available radio: BBC WM 95.6 FM (not online), AVTV (If audio doesn’t work, try using Safari).

Twitter: You can find our live updates @7500toHolte, and we’d also recommend @VillaReport for updates as well.

Injuries & Suspensions

Aston Villa won’t see Keinan Davis. Birkir Bjarnason is out and John McGinn may miss out.

Aston Villa squad

Birmingham squad

Live twitter stream