The Championship is ready for a midweek selection of matches, and none are bigger than Aston Villa's trip to Sheffield United.
Both clubs come into the fixture as promotion candidates, and just four points separate them in the table currently. Sheffield United are coming off of an FA Cup victory at the weekend, while Aston Villa enjoyed a weekend off of match play. Will the extra rest enable Aston Villa to pick up all three points and further cement their playoff chances?
Aston Villa go into this fixture on the back of four straight wins in the Championship. The Midlands club are second in the league's form table behind Fulham. Over their last six matches, Aston Villa are +8 in goal scoring and have picked up 13 of a possible 18 points.
Aston Villa have few injury worries heading into the fixture. The club recently stated that Gabby Agbonlahor was back in training. The Villa veteran's impact on the team has been minimal this season, which shows a complete departure of how much the team depended on him in years previous. Albert Adomah leads Aston Villa in goals with 11, which is good enough for seventh in the Championship.
Sheffield United have one eye on the promotion playoffs and one on the FA Cup. The Blades defeated Preston, 1-0, in the competition on Saturday. Chris Wilder's side have a game in hand over Bristol City and Fulham, who sit ahead of the Blades in the race for promotion. A win against Aston Villa and Sheffield United will leapfrog Fulham on Tuesday night.
Sheffield United have put a lot into their FA Cup run and it could ultimately be the thing that stops a promotion charge. Aston Villa enjoyed extra preparation time over the weekend while the Blades had to work hard for a victory over Preston. Of course, the FA Cup could do the opposite and help spur on Sheffield United, but based on what happened to Championship side Bristol City in the Carabao Cup, it is difficult to believe it will have a positive effect.
Aston Villa and Sheffield United met just before Christmas with the match ending 2-2. Aston Villa let the first meeting between the clubs slip through their hands. Up two-nil after nine minutes, Villa allowed Sheffield United's Clayton Donaldson to score twice within 20 minutes to draw level.
The good news for Aston Villa is the club are working on adding players this transfer window. The team has already signed Axel Tuanzebe from Manchester United on loan. Steve Bruce is in the hunt for further additions before the transfer window shuts, and fresh players could be the thing that gets Aston Villa over the promotion line.
If Aston Villa can hold their nerve this time out, the Claret and Blue should see off Sheffield United. The FA Cup's added pressure will see the Blades lose out in midweek.