Aston Villa are sweating on the fitness of Jack Grealish and Neil Taylor ahead of Saturday’s clash with Stoke City at Villa Park.  

The duo have been regulars under Dean Smith since he took charge in the Midlands, but have both picked up knocks during Friday evening’s draw with West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns.

According to the Birmingham Mail, Villa are waiting for a further update on the injury that forced Grealish from the field on Friday, whilst Taylor is also a doubt for Stoke’s visit at the weekend after limping out of the derby.

Smith’s side are going to be looking to stretch an impressive run of form when Stoke visit Villa Park after a series of positive results in recent weeks put the club in serious play-off contention.

Outstanding away performances have seen Villa beat Derby and Middlesbrough 3-0, whilst four points were picked up from home clashes with Birmingham City and Nottingham Forest.

On Friday, Villa picked up another valuable point against West Brom, with Anwar El Ghazi scoring twice.

However, Villa were denied an impressive victory when Jay Rodriguez controversially handled the ball into the net.

The Verdict  

This is obviously an early worry for Villa ahead of a testing fixture against Stoke.

The Potters are unbeaten in eight, and going into the clash without the likes of Grealish and Taylor would be frustrating for Smith.

However, Villa are in a good moment right now and would hope momentum will carry them through even if they are without key personnel.

Thoughts? Let us know!