Steve Bruce has admitted he isn’t expecting to see Jack Grealish or Albert Adomah return for Aston Villa at the weekend, with the duo continuing to struggle with injuries.

The Villa Park boss told Gregg Evans of the Birmingham Mail that he isn’t expecting to see either of Villa’s attacking duo return for Saturday’s trip to Hillsborough.

Grealish (calf) and Adomah (hamstring) have been struggling with injuries, and have been forced to sit out Villa’s last two Sky Bet Championship fixtures – Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Fulham and last night’s 1-1 draw with Preston North End.

In the absence of the duo, Villa have struggled going forward, with Bruce’s side not looking like the same outfit who put together seven consecutive victories together in early 2018 to move into automatic promotion contention.

Lewis Grabban was Villa’s hero last night, with the on-loan striker stepping off the bench to secure a valuable point against Preston, which kept Villa in touching distance of the top-two.

Villa are currently third, a point behind Cardiff City, who are in action tonight against Ipswich Town.

The Verdict  

Villa are really struggling without Grealish and Adomah, with the duo depriving Bruce of his key attacking outlets.

Illness to Robert Snodgrass dealt Bruce a further blow last night, and heading to Sheffield on Saturday low on numbers will hand Villa another major test of their promotion credentials.

Bruce’s side are still well in the hunt for automatic promotion, but can’t afford too may more slip-ups in the coming weeks, as it could cost them dearly.

Aston Villa fans… Let us know your thoughts!