Aston Villa will be seeking a first win in four when they take on Reading at Villa Park tonight with their chances of making the top two looking very slim.

Steve Bruce’s men looked set to make a real push for an automatic promotions spot after beating Wolves 4-1 last month but they’ve not won since and are now ten points behind Cardiff who occupy second place.

However, even if Villa have to settle for the play-offs, Bruce will be desperate for them to rediscover their form from earlier in the season, starting against Reading tonight.

The Royals have had a disastrous campaign and are only five points ahead of the relegation zone, although they represent a tougher challenge under new manager Paul Clement.

The former Derby boss got off to a winning start as Reading manager on Friday and will want to build momentum.

Therefore, it promises to be a close game tonight with both sides having quality in key areas.

Here at FLW we decided to look at the strongest combined XI of the two teams…

Let us know what your XI would be in the comments below!

The Villa keeper has had a solid season and is arguably the best stopper in the division.

Like most of his teammates, Gunter hasn't hit the heights of last season but he is still a reliable and classy operator at this level.

John Terry is the man who attracts the most headlines in Villa's back four but Chester has been one of the best players at Villa this season.

The Wales international is one of the top centre-backs in the league and has chipped in with key goals in the past month or so.

Moore just gets the nod over Terry to partner Chester in this XI.

The former Leicester man has had a good season, evident by January links to West Ham and Celtic and has a great all-round game.

He is capable of playing out from the back but also has the pace and power to dominate strikers.

He may be off in the summer but you can't argue with how Hutton has played this season.

Aggressive and strong defensively, whilst also quick to get forward, he has had a fine campaign.

The reality is the defensive midfielders on both sides have struggled at times this season, but Jedinak has probably been the best of the lot.

Whilst he struggles on the ball, the Australian international is excellent defensively, knowing exactly where to position himself and he leads by example.

The talented youngster burst onto the scene last year and has continued to play an important role for the Royals this season.

There was a strong case to include Mo Barrow who has nine goals from out wide, but Snodgrass just pipped him into this side.

The former Hull winger has carried Villa at times this season, contributing with crucial goals and assists that seriously helped their promotion push.

He has gone off the boil big time in the past three games which is reflected in Villa's results.

Grealish is the most naturally talented player at the club and needs to get back to his best if they are to win promotion.

With 14 goals from midfield, you simply have to pick Adomah who may well make the Championship team of the season when the time comes.

Another problem position.

The Royals don't have a goalscorer, whereas Villa's main threat in Jonathan Kodjia has been injured for most of the season.

Therefore, you have to go with Grabban who has a decent strike rate since joining in January although he has been poor in recent matches.