Rotherham v Aston Villa preview
Having won late at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, Villa head back to South Yorkshire tonight knowing they must pass a very different kind of test to record a seventh win in a row.
Villa’s surge up the Championship in recent weeks has been accelerated thanks a fixture list which has pitted them directly against rivals for the play-off positions.
Derby, Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough and Blues, prior to the latter’s nine-point deduction, were all above Dean Smith’s men in the table prior to facing them.
Wednesday, meanwhile, saw their challenge for the top six all but ended by last weekend’s dramatic defeat.
Only Blackburn, of those teams beaten, could be classed among the small group of teams with little left to play for, in a division where most are usually fighting for something.
Rotherham certainly can’t be classed in that category. The Millers sit 22nd in the table and are as desperate for three points to boost their survival hopes as Villa are to strengthen their hold on a top six spot.
They are the lowest-ranked team Smith’s men have faced since Reading more than two months ago but represent a challenge which should not be underestimated, particularly on their own turf.
Rotherham have taken 29 of their 40 points at the New York Stadium and provided the perfect example of the threat they pose by beating Forest 2-1 last weekend.
Villa, while understandably in confident mood, know they will have to play better than they did at Hillsborough to ensure their charge is not unexpectedly derailed.
“Rotherham are down in the bottom half of the table but there is still a lot to play for, aims and targets they need to hit,” said goalkeeper Jed Steer.
“There are some really good sides in the division and to stay ahead of people or catch people up we have to keep winning.
“We have won six games on the bounce now but we will go into Wednesday’s game, knowing we have to win again.”
Millers boss Paul Warne believes his team will need “Lady Luck” on their side in order to pull off the shock.
He said: “We’re a good home side and we need to take the game to them, but Villa are virtually a Premier League side.
“Jack Grealish is probably the best player in the division. We need a little bit of Lady Luck and we need to take our chances. As always, I plea the fans to stay behind the team. It makes a massive difference at home as we’ve seen.
“I know that we’re formidable against any team and hopefully we can give them enough problems.”
