West Brom v Aston Villa: A meeting like no other in the 138 years of the rivalry between West Midlands duo

Since 1882 these clubs have been going at each other, their rivalry comfortably among the oldest in the sport.

Yet never before have they faced each other without the presence of supporters. The empty stands which will greet the players tomorrow night will, inevitably, remove a fair portion of the spice and soul from the occasion.

It will all feel a far cry from the last time the rivals met little more than 18 months ago, in the second leg of a Championship play-off semi-final.

The atmosphere at The Hawthorns that night is widely accepted to have been the best in recent memory. Rarely before had so many futures, whether they be players to coaching staff, been on the line. Villa eventually emerged triumphant, goalkeeper Jed Steer the hero in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out.

Tomorrow the stakes will not nearly be so high though that doesn’t mean there aren’t still plenty of storylines, chief among them Sam Allardyce’s debut as Baggies boss.

The 66-year-old’s arrival this week guarantees him centre stage and the immediate focus will be on whether less than a handful of days on the training ground has prompted any alteration in Albion’s approach.

In some respects, Allardyce could hardly have asked for a better fixture to begin his reign.

Much as his track record might suggest he is the ideal man for a relegation battle, there is no point pretending his replacing of Slaven Bilic has been universally hailed by supporters, some of whom remain suspicious of his Wolves-supporting past.

There is also the claim, so often repeated over the years it has become legend, Allardyce vowed never to work for Albion again after he and Brian Talbot, to whom he was assistant, were sacked in the wake of the 1991 FA Cup defeat to non-league Woking.

Beating the Villa would be the perfect start in terms of winning over the sceptics.

Quite where the rivalry ranks when compared to others in the region will always be a topic for debate. There is no question that for a generation of Baggies supporters who grew up in the late 1970s and early 80s, when the clubs battled it out to be the best in the country let alone the Midlands, it takes precedence over meetings with Wolves.

Dean Smith was just establishing his love for Villa during that same period. Smith, who grew up on the border between Birmingham and Sandwell and attended Dartmouth High School, knows all about this rivalry.

So too do his assistants Richard O’Kelly (who grew up an Albion fan) and Craig Shakespeare, the latter of whom both played and coached at The Hawthorns. Shakespeare was also, of course, No.2 to Allardyce during the latter’s brief and ill-fated reign as England manager.

Whether Shakespeare can be Villa’s secret weapon remains to be seen but it certainly won’t hurt preparations which, for the visitors, have become a little trickier in light of Bilic’s exit and Allardyce’s arrival. Villa head into the game on their shortest turnaround of the season so far having played Burnley just 72 hours previously.

The 0-0 draw against the Clarets was disappointing – not least in light of the 27 attempt Smith’s team registered on goal – and leaves no doubt Villa will be gunning for victory at The Hawthorns.

Statement wins over the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal have significantly raised expectation levels among supporters, but there remains a significant question over just how well Villa can handle those teams at the lower end of the table. Previous meetings with the bottom five, prior to Thursday’s draw with Burnley, had brought wins over Fulham and Sheffield United but a defeat, albeit in controversial circumstances, against Brighton.

Albion, meanwhile, have tended to save their best performances of the season for members of the so-called Big Six, with Tuesday’s point at Manchester City coming after solid showings against Tottenham and Manchester United met with no reward. The problem, under Bilic, was following up a decent display with another one. Consistency is the key ingredient Allardyce will be searching for as he looks to engineer an escape from danger and while it would be wrong to expect too much, too soon, a derby does offer an opportunity to make the perfect start.