Again. It’s the hope that kills you.

Jack Grealish’s goal against Cardiff has got us praying that Fulham and Cardiff stumble to allow Villa to sneak in to 2nd place. Is it happening?

Eh. Meh. Maybe?

Here’s more on Aston Villa and Leeds, in a match that is very strange, for a multitude of reasons.

What to know about Aston Villa

Alex Carson mentioned that it’s not upsetting that Villa have missed out on automatic promotion, but HOW and WHY. I can’t agree more. Automatic promotion is still possible, but it’s about as possible as the New York Mets continuing their 10-1 season in almost perfect fashion. I want to believe, but it’s not likely.

Still, if Villa can smash Leeds to pieces (and due to contextual events that have taken place over the course of Leed’s season, which is mirroring the Titanic headbutting that massive iceberg, that’s very much on the cards), then at least they are keeping the conversation alive.

Steve Bruce wants to rotate the side, surely, but he’s been forced into doing so because his lack of rotation has resulted in key injuries in the defence. Still, Villa won’t struggle with Mile Jedinak at the back too much, as long as the full-backs wind their necks in.

What to know about Leeds

Do you know the film Event Horizon, when Sam Neill’s character cuts out his eyes and then you realise that the entire thing is doomed and there’s no way out as the hellmouth draws closer? That’s Leeds United. There’s no hellmouth though, as they will not get relegated. They will simply have to make do with having their soul sapped as they get twatted by most teams in the Championship.

They’ve got a really decent team, so there’s no reason why Leeds should be so bad. They’ve just been tremendously poor WHILST outperforming xG. That takes some doing.

Leeds will miss a number of key players for the game, but hey - that probably won’t matter to be blunt. Leeds are error prone even with their strongest lineup. They failed to replace Chris Wood up front, and thus - the one man club unfortunately became a no-man club. Lasogga up front has been hit and miss, and despite the fact that he looks like he’s just smoked a ten pack of B&H duals, ripped apart a Big Mac, before downing six cans of Carling Premier - he will be a form of danger for Villa.

Paul Heckingbottom, for some reason, left his cushty digs at Barnsley to walk straight into a gaping black hole at Leeds. His stock is crushed and Hecky, a talented manager, will be managing in League One next season, because this Leeds team, this current iteration, are damned. Damned in every sense of the word. Their souls have left this world.

I don’t want to get cruel, so I’m leaving it here. Good luck Leeds. Christ.

Prediction

2-1 to the big Villa boys. I’ve never been right thus far though and if Leeds actually beat Villa, then fair play to them.