Conor Hourihane believes Aston Villa are well-prepared for their Middlesbrough clash.

The Irish international has previous experience in the play-offs with Barnsley when they got promoted from League One in 2016. Villa are on the cusp of something greater, though, because they can get promoted back into the Premier League which is worth a lot more, so nerves will play an even bigger part.

Villa ended up finishing fourth with the final day defeat to Millwall having no impact on their place because it was already secured. They had to wait until the last-minute to find out their opponents because Middlesbrough's late equaliser meant they are playing them rather than Derby County.

This is what Hourihane had to say about the Boro clash:

The Verdict

Villa have the right kind of experienced individuals to succeed in the play-offs and the fact they knew they weren't going to reach the automatics or drop out of the play-offs has served them well because they have been able to plan extensively for these tough games, which could give them the extra advantage they need to succeed.

Boro will be a tough opponent, but Villa should just be able to edge it over two legs. This would be much harder if these two were meeting in the final.