Sam Johnstone believes that everyone associated with the club is looking forward to the Play-Off Final including himself.

The 25-year-old loanee from Manchester United has been a key player for Villa this season because he only missed one game during the regular season; this was on the final day of the season against Millwall as Steve Bruce rewarded Mark Bunn for being back-up all season.

Johnstone kept clean sheets in both legs of the play-off semi-final against Middlesbrough as Villa came away with a 1-0 aggregate win. This highlighted Villa's ability to be on the right side of fine margins in a game, which is a good news ahead of a clash that is likely to be dominated by nerves.

This is what Johnstone had to say about the final to the official Villa site:

"Now we have a huge game at Wembley, which we’re all looking forward to.

"Everyone is buzzing – the team, the staff, the fans.

"The key for me is concentrating on ourselves, prepare right, work hard all week and go into the game in confident mood."

The Verdict

Home advantage was key during the regular season fixtures between these teams. However, Villa relied a lot more on their home form than the Cottagers because they picked up 49 points compared to Fulham's 47, but only picked up 34 compared to 41 away. Therefore, the neutral venue could suit Fulham even with Villa's impressive support.

Johnstone and Villa have the right mentality going into the game, though, because they are looking forward to it while acknowledging it will be a tough game where concentration is key because Fulham will be aiming to take advantage of any mistake or lapse of concentration.