Aston Villa v Norwich Pre Match Thread

[Axl Rose]

Smash them, Villa!

[PaulWinch again]

Change something Dean please.

[AlexAlexCropley]

A wild 5-1 season's greetings goal-fest

[thick_mike]

Brother-in-law can’t go today, so I bagged his season tickets and will be taking my dad to the game today.

[BoVillan esq]

We have to win this, 2-1 Villa, at very least this is the one game over the Christmas period we must win, it won't get any easier from here.

Come on Villa, Deano!!!!, do something.

[RamboandBruno]

Just reading the interview with Smith in the bham mail online & he seems to me to be implying that two up top didn’t yield anything in the last 30 mins against a Southampton team that was cruising by then. Might be wrong but that makes me think he still play the same system. Hopefully he’ll at least tweak things.

Hopefully jack in the middle, give Kodjia 60 mins up front to see how he gets on, id probs go with midfield of Nakamba, Luiz, Hourihane (for set piece threat only), jack and give Trez a go, despite his truly wasteful free kick with 10 mins to go on Saturday. El Ghazi can’t be anywhere near after Saturday.

Not sure how our back line will cope with Pukki 🥺 gonna be an anxiety fuelled trip to VP

[ChicagoLion]

Without doubt this is the most important game for us since the last one

It’s more important be because we lost the last one.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Just win baby

[Clark W Griswold]

I actually have a hunch we’ll win, with no real reason to do so.

[pauliewalnuts]

With the exception of a replacement for McGinn, I fear we’ll see the same starting line up as last time which means zero points.

We need to try something different.

[Steve67]

How about, no late Christmas presents from our defence, no Christmas cheer from our really hard working midfield and a lack of benevolence from our centre forward?  Would be nice.

[postal]

Basics lesson 1:
Score more than them
Hassle, and just want the ball than them
Don't concede straight from the kick off, from either start of a half
Work hard and look for chances ( thats you Wesley if you realise that you might start earning your money)
If someone along with Jack, could score?

And please win, not only for the 3 points, but also my other half and her family, and also my brother are Norwich fans.

[Roysmert]

The brilliant Richard Hawley likes us the Villa - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50856019

Richard's prediction: Both of these teams came up from the Championship last season, and they are both struggling. This is a no-brainer for me, though, because my drummer Dean Beresford is a massive Villa fan, and his granddad Joe Beresford played for them from 1927 to 1934. He is in the process of writing a book about him at the moment and the stories are legend.

So, if I don't say Villa are going to win, I might end up without a drummer. In any case I have always had a secret liking of Villa because of their claret and blue colours. I think that goes to the 1970s because I can always picture Andy Gray in their kit. 2-0.

[PaulTheVillan]

I think Smith will make some big changes today. A must win game, if there ever were one.

[SamTheMouse]

I think Smith will make some big changes today. A must win game, if there ever were one.

Think again!