Aston Villa owner Tony Xia’s angry response to Ian Holloway’s pre-season prediction of where the club would finish this season, is looking like it could come back to haunt him.

Holloway, who is now QPR manager, predicted that following relegation from the Premier League, Villa would finish a lowly 16th in the Sky Bet Championship.

The former Sky Sports presenter also claimed: “They’re lucky I’ve put them this high.”

This prompted an angry response from Xia, who claimed Holloway was a failed player and manager and fans should not read his article.

One Twitter user, Lewis Matthews, dug out the X-rated tweet and reposted it on the social media website.

Villa were early season favourites for a return to the Premier League, but after a poor start to the season, Roberto Di Matteo was sacked and replaced by Steve Bruce in October.

Bruce looked like sparking a push for the Play-Offs with an initial upturn in results, but Villa have failed to win in 2017 and continue their slide down the table.

Holloway’s prediction is looking increasingly likely to become accurate, with Villa struggling and currently sat 17th in the Championship table and without a win since Boxing Day.

Bruce’s side face Derby County at Villa Park on Saturday, as they look to pull themselves away from a relegation battle.

Villa fans… Are you worried about relegation this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!