Aston Villa moved back into play-off contention with a hard fought 1-0 win over Swansea City on Boxing Day, and Dean Smith will be confident his side can finish in the top six by May. 

Conor Hourihane's second-half goal proved to be the difference between the two sides on the day as Villa moved up to ninth in the Championship table.

More importantly, Smith's side are now just three points adrift of the play-off places heading into their game against Preston North End this weekend.

It's sure to be a potentially tricky fixture against a Preston side that will pose a serious threat.

Smith has some of the best attacking talent at his disposal this season, and he will be hoping that his key players can step up and fire Villa to promotion.

So, how can we expect to see Villa line-up against the Lilywhites this weekend?

Find out here....

Nyland has had his fair share of critics this season but has impressed in recent weeks.

The goalkeeper was the hero in the win over Swansea City on Boxing Day as he saved a stoppage-time penalty from Wilfried Bony.

The 31-year-old had come under-fire from the club's supporters in recent weeks after poor showings against Stoke and Leeds.

But he put in a better display against the Swans most recently, and with a lack of competition for his starting spot in the Villa XI, it's likely that we'll see him start against Preston at Deepdale.

The Villa captain has been crucial to their recent impressive defensive resilience and he is a certain starter for this one.

With Axel Tuanzebe struggling with a knock recently, we've seen Bree at centre-back.

Expect that to continue after a clean sheet.

He has only missed one league game so far and with a real lack of options in defence for Dean Smith's side, Hutton is a certain starter, especially after his assist in the win over Swansea.

Aston Villa's most consistent performer has been a regular under Dean Smith since he took charge of his boyhood club.

McGinn's energy in the midfield is crucial to Villa's impressive run of form and he will play a starring role in their promotion bid this season.

The Icelandic international could be in line to replace Glenn Whelan in the Aston Villa starting XI.

Bjarnason was a late substitute against Swansea, but he could replace the former Irish international.

He is also a better option going forward against a Preston side that do look shaky in defence.

Hourihane is Villa's most creative player by some distance, and he will be keen to build on some impressive performances.

The midfielder scored the only goal in the win over Swansea City on Boxing Day, and he is likely to retain his place in the starting XI for their game against Preston.

Bolasie has shown glimpses of his quality for Aston Villa this season but he'll be hoping to add to his goal tally.

The on-loan Everton winger only has two goals to his name, and will be hoping to recapture the sort of form that saw him earn a move to Everton from Crystal Palace.

Adomah made his long-awaited return from injury in the win over Swansea when he came on as a second-half substitute.

His creativity and pace going forward is a nightmare for opposition defences to handle.

Abraham has 13 goals to his name and is Aston Villa's biggest attacking threat going forward.

Adding to that tally on Saturday will be his aim.