Aston Villa will look to keep alive their play-off hopes with a victory at bitter rivals Birmingham City on Sunday lunchtime.

A 4-0 win against Derby last time out moved Dean Smith's men to within six points of the top six and they know that producing a magnificent run is needed to have any chance of promotion.

The manner of the victory over the Rams gave Villa a lot of confidence, however it has also given Smith at least one problem - how to get John McGinn back into the team.

He missed the last two games through suspension but is available for the trip to St. Andrew's, although the manager acknowledged it will be hard to get him back in the side when speaking ahead of the clash.

Whilst we can understand that Smith will be reluctant to change a winning team, McGinn is one of the better midfielders in the league and a key man to Villa.

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Here we look at TWO reasons why he has to start against Blues...

He has been their best midfielder over the season

Even though it would be harsh to drop Conor Hourihane or Glenn Whelan after how they played against Derby, you have to look at the bigger picture.

They haven't played that way for much of the season, with McGinn undoubtedly Villa's best midfield player. So, does he really deserve to miss out because they had one great game?

Quite simply, Smith should pick his best XI - and McGinn is one of the first names on the teamsheet.

He will thrive in the derby

Following on from that, he will thrive in the atmosphere and energy that a game at St. Andrew's will provide.

You need strong figures and reliable characters in such an environment and McGinn certainly fits into that category.

If Villa had a home game against a side struggling towards the bottom you could perhaps justify leaving him out, however a red-hot game, arguably their biggest of the season, needs McGinn.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.