Return of Jack Grealish will be a breath of fresh air as Aston Villa host Fulham

Following the international break, the Villans will look to resolve their misfortunes as they play host to relegation battlers, Fulham. The absence of Jack Grealish has been no help to the below par form over the last six weeks.

Recent weeks have shown that Dean Smith’s side have struggled without their Captain, picking up just five points from the 15 available. However, the return of Grealish will provide a breathe of fresh air at B6.

The Premier League Player of The Year nominee has been on the side-lines for over 6 weeks after his shin injury was ‘leaked’ prior to their defeat against Midlands rivals, Leicester City. A poor run of form followed for Aston Villa and with other players underperforming, it’s been a bleak few weeks for supporters of the club.

As we make a return back to domestic football, the 25-year-old has been recognised as Europe’s fifth highest rated player, behind the likes of Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane.

Grealish’s return comes at the perfect time with the Euro’s around the corner and a spot in the national team on the line, the Englishman will hope to hit the ground running upon his return.

Straying away from the focal point of Villa’s regular starting XI, Scotland international, John McGinn, has enjoyed a fine trio of games for the Tartan Army; scoring three times for his nation, including an acrobatic effort from the Scotsman.

McGinn is now Scotland’s third top scorer since the turn of the millennium with ten goals, only eight behind Kenny Miller. Playing much higher up the pitch in Steve Clarke’s squad in the number ten role whereas at Villa, the 26-year-old has been subdued to holding midfield which prevents the former Hibernian man from having an instrumental impact on matches.

Their visitors for Sunday’s early evening kick-off often enjoy the occasion to play against Villa, handing Smith’s men an FA Cup third round exit last season as well as taking the spoils in 2018’s Championship Play-Off final; causing quite the summer for the Lions.

Scott Parker’s side sit just three points from safety and whilst we’re rapidly coming to the business end of the season, Fulham will be looking at Sunday’s fixture as a chance to lift themselves out of the drop zone with a win.

The Cottagers haven’t had it easy in their last four matches, playing Spurs, Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds. Surprisingly, their only win in this run came against the current champions of England in a 1-0 win at Anfield.

Scoring goals has been something that Fulham have struggled with this season, putting the ball in the back of the net 23 times. However, with Aleksander Mitrovic bagging five goals in just three matches whilst on international duty, Parker will be hopeful that the Serbian’s form will translate to league football in their bid for survival.

At the ripe age of 26, Mitrovic has become his nation’s top scorer with 40 goals.

The Fulham boss will face a tricky decision on who to start up front ahead of their trip to the West Midlands, with Josh Maja taking the starting position recently, it’ll be a tough call for Parker.

Both sides will be licking their lips at this fixture, with the Cottagers in dire need of a victory and the Villans slumping away from the heights they’ve been at, we can expect two sides to do battle once more.

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