It is certainly little too late for Villa to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but there is renewed hope around Villa Park after a disastrous few years.

The Midlands outfit are on a decent run of form that has seen them steadily rise up the table – picking up 12 points out of a possible 15 points over the past five games.

Villa arguably possess one of the most talented squads in the Championship, and after re-building the squad over the last 12 months, the team are finally starting to gel together

Bruce’s focus will be to finish the season as strongly as possible, with the aim of carrying on their momentum into the 2017/2018 campaign.

Villa face a Wigan Athletic side, who are significantly hanging onto their Championship lives. They recently lost their manager and have only won two out of their last ten Championship games.

FLW writer, Ashley Williams identifies the Aston Villa side that will comfortably beat Wigan Athletic on Saturday..

GK – Sam Johnstone

The young Manchester United goalkeeper on loan at Villa until the end of the season has been a great addition for the club.

The 23-year old is growing in confidence in every game he plays. He endured a difficult start to life under Bruce, conceding ten goals in his opening five games, but has since gone on to make four clean sheets in his last five appearances.

With only a handful of games left, Johnstone will be looking to carry on his excellent form and could be snapped up by Villa on a permanent basis.

LB – Neil Taylor

The former Swansea City full-back has settled into life at Villa Park fairly quickly. He has now commanded the left-back spot, with Frenchman Jordan Amavi being pushed into left midfielder.

Villa’s win against Sheffield Wednesday last weekend was by far Taylor’s best performance in a Villa shirt. He is expected to be a great acquisition for Villa and he will be hoping to continue his good run of form against Wigan at the weekend.

CB – James Chester

It will be a tough one to call whether Chester or Kodjia will be Villa’s player of the season. He has really steadied the ship amongst the back-four and is arguably one of the main reasons why Villa possess one of the best defensive records in the Championship.

Villa have conceded 39 goals in the Championship, which is a similar record to those in the top six.

CB- Nathan Baker

The transformation of Baker’s ability as a defender has been truly remarkable over the past two years. Since his loan with Bristol City last year, he looks more comfortable on the ball and doesn’t seem to be phased with the quality players that the Championship possesses.

He was taken off mid-way through last weekend's affair with Sheffield Wednesday, but should be fit for the clash with Wigan on Saturday.

RB – James Bree

Another Villa addition that is slowly starting to settle into the club. He has been outstanding this season during his time with Barnsley and there will be much more to come in a Villa shirt.

He switched to right-midfield before returning to right-back during the huge tactical shift in the first-half against the Owls. He played his part in the opening goal with a neat ball back to Hourihane and looked lively throughout.

RW – Albert Adomah

Expect Adomah to be a big player for Villa next season, he has shown that he has great footballing abilities during his time at Middlesbrough and it has taken him a while to come out his shell in Birmingham.

As well as playing on the flanks, he can sit just behind Kodjia, which is a role he quite likes to play in. He operated in this role last weekend and he was significant threat to Wednesday’s defence.

He played a superb through ball for Kodjia’s second goal to seal the game and got the round of applause his performance deserved when he was taken off.

CM – Mile Jedinak

Jedinak could become a Villa icon in the future and we are finally seeing why he was brought to the club. He brings a calming influence to Villa’s midfield and is someone that you can 100% depend on.

He is not afraid of putting a tackle in, and rarely gives away the ball. He is also willing to fill into different positions as we witnessed when Nathan Baker went off injured last weekend. The Australian is always a certain starter.

CM – Conor Hourihane

The energetic Irish midfielder is rapidly becoming a Villa favourite and has had a superb season in the Championship. He is getting into the right places and should have netted a couple of chances in last weekend’s game. There is no doubt that Hourihane will come up with the goods and will only improve every week.

CM – Henri Lansbury

Lansbury would have been gutted to have pulled up in the warm-up last weekend, but he is expected to be fit for the game against Wigan Athletic.

The former Nottingham Forest midfielder adds a wealth of creativity in the centre of the pitch and always looks to sustain a high tempo. His vision is excellent, and he is constantly looking for openings in the opposition defence to feed through the likes of Kodjia and Adomah up top.

LW – Jordan Amavi

He looks dangerous whenever he goes forward. With the addition of Neil Taylor, Bruce has given Amavi the chance to play further up the pitch and he seems to be excelling with a confident display against Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.

ST – Jonathan Kodjia

What a player Kodjia has been for the Midlands side this season. He looks full of confidence and when given the chance in front of goal, he’s clinical.

Easily Villa’s best striker since the days of Christian Benteke, and the Ivory Coast international is on course to become Villa’s first player to score 20 league goals since Peter Withe in 1981.

Aston Villa fans… Is this the side to beat Wigan at the weekend? What are your thoughts on Villa’s displays over the past few weeks? Let us know in your thoughts and opinions below!