Aston Villa are currently flying high in the Sky Bet Championship, sitting fifth in the table heading into a crucial festive period, which is set to test the club’s promotion credentials.  

Steve Bruce’s side will face Derby County, Sheffield United, Brentford and Middlesbrough between now and the end of 2017, with four of Villa’s promotion rivals set to hand them a serious test.

Saturday’s clash with Derby County at the Pride Park Stadium is the first of a difficult run of fixtures, but Villa will be buoyed by Bruce’s exceptional record as a manager when visiting Pride Park.

Aston Villa’s official Twitter account (@AVFCOfficial) has revealed that Bruce has picked up five victories on his last six visits to Derby, losing on just one occasion against the Rams during that period of time.

Derby currently sit fourth in the table heading into the weekend, having picked up four victories in their last five fixtures, a run that has put Gary Rowett’s side a point ahead of Villa in the Championship table.

Villa are unbeaten since early November, but have drawn back-to-back fixtures, which has hindered Bruce’s side in their quest to close down the top-two.

The Verdict

Bruce’s record at Derby is fantastic, with the Villa boss picking up some impressive victories at the Pride Park Stadium.

Villa will hope his record stays true this weekend, with the Villans in-need of three points following consecutive draws.

A victory this weekend over Derby would set Villa up nicely heading into the three testing fixtures.

Aston Villa fans… Let us know your thoughts!