MATCH PREVIEW BY: Martyn Todd

Now that the dust has settled after all the New Year partying, we re-focus ourselves towards something extremely important, a local derby against the old enemy!

David O'Leary's side have had something of a mixed start this season. In the summer they purchased some top quality players with the likes of Kevin Phillips, Milan Baros, Patrick Berger and Wilfred Bouma all moving to Villa Park. The club's fans were all set for a European push but it hasn't quite gone according to plan. With O'Leary under a certain amount of pressure from the Villa faithful you can rest assured that his team will be going all out to start the new year on a high.

Villa's young midfield maestro Steven Davis has been making the headlines so far this season with his energetic displays in midfield and with James Milner there alongside him Villa have a more than decent midfield. Up front, Kevin Phillips looks set to miss the game through injury but his strike partner Milan Baros will ensure that the Albion back-line will have to be on-top of their game.

Albion fans will hope that Bryan Robson's men stayed off the champagne and had an early night as they go looking to bounce back from Saturday's defeat at Liverpool. Despite a terrible away record the Baggies are looking good at home and will be hoping for a repeat of their last game at The Hawthorns - the 2-0 victory over Spurs. With this being their final league game at the Hawthorns before jetting off to the African Nations Cup, both Diomansy Kamara and Kanu will be looking to sign off in style with good performances and perhaps a goal or two.

I predict a 0-0 draw, both teams will want to start the new year with a victory which could well make this a scrappy game.

COME ON YOU BAGGIES!!!

ALBION

Zoltan Gera and Thomas Gaardsoe will both miss the lunchtime clash but Baggies boss Bryan Robson is hopeful Junichi Inamoto and Kanu will both be fit to play. Robson looks certain to recall Nathan Ellington, Jonathan Greening and Diomansy Kamara to the starting line-up after all three players were rested against Liverpool.

Possible Line-up: Kuszczak, Watson, Davies, Clement, Robinson, Greening, Wallwork, Inamoto, Kamara, Ellington, Kanu.

ASTON VILLA

Villa will be without Olof Mellberg, Kevin Phillips, Patrik Berger and Lee Hendrie for the Hawthorns clash whilst Wilfred Bouma faces a late fitness test.

Possible Line-up: Sorensen, Hughes, Delaney, Ridgewell, Barry, Milner, McCann, Bakke, Davis, Moore, Baros.

THIS SEASON

Villa currently lie in 13th place in the Barclays Premiership with 22 points from 20 games. Milan Baros and Steven Davis are the club's joint leading scorers with five league and cup goals each. Villa have won one, lost one, and drawn four of their last six games. Their last match saw them draw 0-0 with Arsenal at Villa Park. David O'Leary's men were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Doncaster in the fourth round.

LAST SEASON

Villa finished 10th in the Barclays Premiership with 47 points. They were beaten in the FA Cup third round by Sheffield United and were beaten in the Carling Cup third round by Burnley. Juan Pablo Angel and Nolberto Solano finished the season as the club's leading scorers with nine league and cup goals each.

ONES TO WATCH

Steven Davis - All-action midfielder with an eye for goal.

James Milner - Skilful midfielder with good passing and dribbling ability. Despite not quite becoming the star he was tipped to become he is still a quality player.

Milan Baros - Very quick and an excellent finisher in and around the penalty area.

LAST LEAGUE MEETING AT THE HAWTHORNS

Albion 1-1 Aston Villa
Sunday 22nd August 2004
Barclays Premiership
Kick-off 1:00pm

Albion: Hoult, Scimeca, Purse, Gaardsoe, Robinson, Haas (Gera 63), Johnson, Clement, Greening, Horsfield (Dobie 74), Kanu. Subs not used: Kuszczak (gk), Moore, Albrechtsen

Goalscorer: Clement 38

 Horsfield 6 (foul), Johnson 75 (foul)

Aston Villa: Sorensen, Delaney, Mellberg, Laursen, Samuel, Solano (De La Cruz 80), McCann, Hitzlsperger, Barry (Whittingham 81), Cole, Vassell (Angel 70). Subs not used: Postma (gk), Luke Moore

Goalscorer: Mellberg 4

 Laursen 52 (foul), Mellberg 70 (foul)

Referee: Mark Halsey (Bolton)
Assistant Referees: Trevor Massey (Cheshire), James Tattan (Merseyside)
Fourth Official: Dermot Gallagher (Oxfordshire)

Half-Time: Albion 1-1 Aston Villa

Attendance: 26,601

A fast and furious West Midlands derby saw Aston Villa dominate the early exchanges, but the tenacity of West Brom claw them back to a 1-1 draw. Following a fourth minute header from Olof Mellberg, The Villans looked in the mood to wrack up a big win - but an equaliser from Neil Clement on 37 saw the match turn into an even and breathless scrap that saw dreadful defending and chances aplenty. Aston Villa had looked well on top through the first half an hour, opening the scoring just four minutes in through Mellberg - but West Brom finally regrouped and were rewarded for their efforts with a leveller from Clement eight minutes from the break.

Baggies fans must have been considering a long-hard season ahead when their side failed to come out of the blocks against their neighbours. Mellberg took just a few minutes to break the deadlock when he was left unmarked as Thomas Hitzlsperger curled in a wicked free kick. The Swede rose superbly to power home, and Carlton Cole nearly doubled the advantage when he blazed down the right side three minutes later but cut his shot back too square. Kanu blazed an effort high on a rare attack for the hosts, but Russell Hoult had to be aware to keep out a low Gareth Barry effort on 17. From the resultant corner, West Brom again left Mellberg unmarked - and it took a wonderful save from Hoult and a goal-line clearance from Paul Robinson to deny the defender claiming his second. Geoff Horsfield huffed and puffed and nearly brought the house down when he capitalised from a heavy Kanu touch and brought a good stop from Thomas Sorensen. But West Brom were forcing themselves back into the game, and they levelled on 37 when Villa took a turn to lose players from set pieces - this one controversially granted for a nothing clash between Horsfield and Martin Laursen. Jonathan Greening's cross left Barry exposed, and Clement powered home superbly for his second goal in two games. It could have been even better for West Brom - but Mark Delaney made an important challenge to stop Kanu finding a shooting opportunity inside the box.

Buoyed by the equaliser West Brom came out of the box the quicker in the second half - and Mellberg was inches away from planting a back pass too close to the tenacious Horsfield. Cole should have put Villa ahead when given a free header in the box - a recurring theme through the match - but planted his effort narrowly past the angle of post and bar. Clement saw Sorensen equal to a typically powerful free kick, and the Danish keeper had to be alert to catch a Darren Purse header from a corner - yet again after slack marking had allowed a chance from a set piece. Horsfield wasted a glorious chance just shy of the 70-minute mark after substitute Zoltan Gera had played a sublime ball through for him - flicking the ball past the post, and Kanu had a typically unpredictable effort drift wide. Villa were boosted late on by the return to action of Juan Pablo Angel - but the Colombian could not get his side back on top - and it was West Brom that finished the match on top. Substitute Scott Dobie did well to round Laursen but then turned away when a shot would have caused trouble for the visitors, not long after Gavin McCann had stung the palms of Hoult with a drive from outside the box. Villa escaped a penalty appeal - when McCann stopped a Kanu touch inside the box with his arm, but at the other end Hoult was forced into a great save to deny Clement putting through his own net.

Overall, both managers will perhaps be disappointed with a point - with David O'Leary expecting his side to keep hold of early dominance, and Gary Megson frustrated that opportunities were missed in the second period.