Steve Bruce will have to get his tactics right if he wants to beat this flowing Fulham side.

Villa and Fulham are just one match away from achieving their aim of Premier League football. They finished fourth and third in the league respectively, so it's no shock that they were able to see off Boro and Derby between them.

The final is a much tougher task because there is no second leg to save themselves and nerves play a much bigger part with Huddersfield's victory on penalties after a 0-0 draw in regular time last season being a good example.

Bruce has prior experience of taking Birmingham and Hull through the play-offs in 2002 and 2016, but few Championship sides have been as dangerous as Fulham when they reach their peak.

Here are three things his team must do to come away victorious...

Set pieces will be key for Villa in this game because they are unlikely to see much of possession, so they are likely to be limited to quick transitions as well as dead-ball opportunities.

They used this well against Boro because Mile Jedinak scored the solitary goal over the two legs with a header from a corner. Villa can utilise their height advantage as well as the physical profiles they have in their squad. For example, Denis Odoi is one of Fulham's centre-backs, but he is one of the smallest players on the team, although he did score a header against Derby.

Maximising these big opportunities with designed routines is one of their best ways to grab a goal in this nervy encounter. They have an excellent set piece specialist in Robert Snodgrass, so getting the best out of him will be key.

Curtis Davies did a great job of nullifying Aleksandar Mitrovic over the two legs even if his side weren't able to come away victorious. One of Villa's centre-backs, most likely John Terry, must focus on blocking play to him and keeping tight to ensure that he can't turn and create an opportunity.

The Serbian striker is the focal point of the team and he either creates his own opening or holds the ball up and feeds players making darting runs into the box such as Ryan Sessegnon. Cutting him off from the rest of the team limits their play because they like to play into his feet in order to draw in the opposition and create space for other players.

Fulham did find a way to play around this in the second leg against Derby, but this is one of the best ways to stifle their attacking play especially if they intend to play in a low block.

Formations are fluid, so they can change depending on which shape the team is in as well as the current scenario. However, Bruce should use a 4-2-3-1 rather than a 4-1-4-1 in possession as well as in the defensive shape.

This is most important defensively because it reduces the space in the central attacking areas for Fulham, which is key because they like to stretch the opposition and pack these areas with players making lots of quick movements that included runs from deep positions.

Having a double pivot helps control the midfield areas by adding another passing option in build-up and reduces the chance of the Cottagers being able to exploit central areas in transition due to the deeper average position of the two defensive midfielders.