Birmingham City defender Michael Morrison reckons Aston Villa's promotion chances will be over if they don't win at St. Andrew's this afternoon.

The bitter rivals go head-to-head at midday in what is a crucial game for many reasons, with both sides having an eye on a top six finish.

However, with Villa six points behind the final play-off position, Morrison told the Mirror all the pressure is on them and it's must-win for Dean Smith's men.

"If Villa don't take the three points and we do that is the end of their push. There is a lot of pressure on them to get a win. If they do lose to us they will be five points behind us and it would be an uphill battle for them."

The Blues man also had a little dig at Villa, revealing that things haven't exactly gone to plan for them since they won the reverse fixture back in November.

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"There was a lot of talk when they beat us about automatic promotion and they are a long way off that now."

Results went for both sides yesterday, with Garry Monk's men knowing they can go to within two points of the play-offs with a first league victory over Villa since 2005.

The Verdict

This is the sort of talk you always get leading up to a derby and it's just Morrison's way of putting the pressure on Villa.

You can't really argue with what he says either, as it's a massive game for Villa and a defeat would leave them in a very tough situation in terms of catching the top six.

However, Blues are only two points ahead of Villa, so they need the points too, which makes today's game so exciting.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.