Aston Villa and Birmingham City are both battling it out for a play-off place this season, and it's going to be one almighty tussle to see if either side can come out on top. 

Not even the most optimistic of Blues supporters could have predicted that their side would be challenging for a top six finish in this year's campaign.

But the two sides are separated by just two points, and their seasons seem to be heading in different directions though.

Villa have been in a poor run of form at the wrong time, and they seem to be heading into a downward spiral under Dean Smith, which will be concerning to see for supporters.

In contrast, Birmingham have been impressive throughout this year's league campaign, and they will fancy their chances at sneaking into the top six before the season is up.

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There is certainly different atmospheres between the two sides, which will make concerning reading for Aston Villa supporters in particular.

There is no doubting that Dean Smith has the better quality of players in his squad, but there seems to be a real togetherness in the Birmingham squad.

This is exactly why the Blues seem to be in better shape heading towards the final few months of the season.

If you're challenging for the play-off places, then you'll need to have a group of players that are all going in the same direction, and Birmingham certainly seem to have that.

They may not have the 'big names' in their squad, but they definitely know how to grind out positive results to keep themselves in the mix.

This is something that Aston Villa don't have in their squad, as they seem to just have a team of individuals that are struggling to gel together at a crucial stage of the season.

Villa supporters should be feeling jealous of their fiercest rivals, as they look more likely to force their way into the top six before the season is up.