Aston Villa blog: Leeds will be tough but beatable

Another big club who have fallen on hard times of late, Garry Monk has steadied the ship somewhat and they now look like they are finally pushing up toward the right end of the championship, writes Justin Hawthorne.

It's going to be another test but nothing which should have the Villa players scared, they'll get beaten at some point under Steve Bruce, but I don't think it will be today.

If Villa could grab all three points tonight, and then hosting a lowly Wigan at home, they could be in the playoffs come Christmas - what a present that would be to the fans following a questionable start to the season.

After reading Steve Round's comments on how the recruitment has gone on behind the scenes, I'm even more confident that the infrastructure is all in place for Villa to put the last few years behind them.

They can now finally start the journey back to the promised land of the Premier League. It might not happen this season considering their slow start, but a top six finish is very achievable, and I still believe that automatic promotion isn't out of reach.

As we all know, the playoffs - while an amazing experience, are a lottery. But with Bruce in charge Villa have a man in place who has been there and done it already.

However, if Villa don't manage promotion this year it could still prove a solid year - giving players plenty of experience in the league. Given that one season, Villa could come back re-energised with the current management team and an even better squad and win the league next time around.

But back to today's game and it could be a massive one for Tommy Elphick.

Tommy came into the club hailed as the complete captain but with his patchy form he's suffered and his recent injury troubles, he's found himself looking on from the sidelines. Today could really be the game for him to get himself back into Steve Bruce's thinking, giving the boss a nice headache to have at the back.

The game is likely to be an incredibly tight affair, but I can see Bruce's men nicking all three points - especially if the likes of Jonathan Kodjia and Jack Grealish are in the mood.