Aston Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane has spoken of his side’s confidence heading into their short trip to face Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium, in a Tweet on the club’s official Twitter page.
The club are on a fantastic run of league form, having not lost in their last six league matches, and confidence is extremely high in the camp.
The return of Jonathan Kodjia from a long-term injury lay-off is proving to be a God-send to Steve Bruce’s men, with the Ivorian striker inspiring his side to back-to-back wins against Barnsley and Nottingham Forest respectively.
Manager Bruce was provided with an extremely restricted transfer budget this summer, and relied heavily on low-cost deals to prepare his side for a crack at promotion to the Premier League after what will be a two year absence at the end of the season.
The acquisitions of the likes of Sam Johnstone, John Terry and Glenn Whelan have proven shrewd moves, and Bruce will be confident that his side can push for the top-six in the coming weeks.
The Verdict
After a lacklustre start, it appears that Villa are finally beginning to show the form that could see them evolve into promotion contenders.
Bruce has an extremely talented, experienced squad with an excellent blend of youth, and failure to secure at least a playoff spot this season could spell the end of the former Manchester United defender’s reign at Villa Park.
Burton are plucky at home and difficult to break down, but if Hourihane’s sentiments are correct, then Villa will head into this game full of confidence, expecting to take the points back to Birmingham.
Villa fans, do you expect to take the points this evening?