Match Preview: Aston Villa v Swansea City

Who are we playing?
Swansea City

Where are we playing?
Saturday 3pm

Can I go?
Until our home form markedly improves, there should be no problem getting Villa Park tickets. Bear in mind the stewards have form for confiscating bedsheets.

Easy to get to?
Travel should be a breeze compared to the Boxing Day shenanigans. Keep an ear on local radio for any weather related hassles

Can I watch it live on the telly?
Saturday 3o'clocker not legally no. Naughty pubs or dodgy web streams are your best bet if you decide to boycott but still want to see the game.

Offensive

Big game?
Incredibly important

The Crystal Palace debacle seems to be last straw that broke the camel's back and Paul Lambert has lost a large section of the support. Reports of Andi Weimann telling loyal supporters to shush or of Ian Culverhouse telling a paying customer to "Shut up you fucking moron" will do little to promote harmony.

It would be easy here to
say "let's pull together" but that would be to ignore the cumulative effect of the utter dross that has been served up by Paul Lambert's team at Villa Park this season.

If the dour scot ever needed to conjure up an inspiring performance from his charges, it's now. On recent evidence it seems unlikely, but make no mistake, Lambert's future at the club is on the line here.

That duvet needs ironing

Do Swansea City have any famous fans?  
Struggling with this one a bit, but there is Darling Bud Catherine Zeta Jones, who is most famous for being Michael Douglas's carer wife.

We've got Ritchie Neville from the boyband Five.

So we win.



Who's playing for us?
Depressingly, Big Chris Benteke is out for some time with his knee problem while Ron Vlaar's calf will almost certainly continue to rule him out.

Westside should be back after his suspension and shouldn't find it too hard to get his place back after yet another inept midfield performance.

With this being the second game in two days, Lambert is likely to freshen things up with a few fresh legs but the final line-up may depend on just who is ready after several players took knocks in the Boxing Day fiasco.

Who's playing for them?
No Michu thankfully. Swansea have lost two on the bounce but they've not been over-run and if Laudrup decides to shuffle his pack, it's likely just due to the quick turnaround of matches.

Any useless stats?
Of course, here you go:

• We first met Swansea Town as they were then on 2nd February 1924 in the FA Cup Second Round, running out 2-0 winners thanks to a brace from Len Capewell.

• Our League encounter with Swansea City on 21st May 1982 was our last match before the European Cup Final. Des Bremner, Peter Withe and Tony Morley scored in a 3-0 victory in front of just 18,294 at Villa Park.

• We've not played Swansea in a cup competition since 21st September 1965 when we won at their place 3-2 as Phil Woosnam netted twice.

• Our last meeting with Swansea City was on New Year's Day at the Liberty Stadium, a 2--2 draw gave us brief respite from the Christmas nightmare, a last minute Danny Graham winner denying us all three points.

He said, She said...
"Not gonna throw the towel in. It's a fight for everyone. You roll your sleeves up and you carry on"  Paul Lambert.

“Villa Park is a very tough place to play but we know we are capable of winning there and bouncing back from these back-to-back defeats.” Ashley Williams

Prediction
Can't see past a Swansea win, a horrible atmosphere and the sour smell of disappointment. Time to start preparing for life in the Championship.