Dean Smith guards against Aston Villa complacency

Play-off-chasing Villa visit the New York Stadium searching for a seventh straight Championship win to cement their place in the top six.

The hosts, by contrast, are in the drop zone and battling to avoid an immediate return to League One.

But the Millers beat Nottingham Forest last weekend and Smith, who watched Villa continue their winning streak with a dramatic win at Sheffield Wednesday, is not ready to take them lightly.

He said: “Rotherham are a tough proposition at their place and still have a chance of staying up.

“We have worked hard. The lads will perhaps have come away from Saturday, having won after being under the cosh in the second half, feeling like they are invincible.

“But I will make sure no complacency creeps into the squad’s mindset, you can be sure of that.”

Smith will consider freshening up his starting XI in the middle of a busy week which concludes with Saturday’s sold-out Villa Park showdown against play-off rivals Bristol City.

On-loan Wolves centre-back Kortney Hause is a doubt with a hip problem suffered at Hillsborough, meaning Axel Tuanzebe could make his first start since December.

Smith said: “Whenever you have a three game week in this league, it’s tough. But we look forward to it.

“The players have a lot of momentum, a lot of belief and they are showing a lot of character too.”