Ireland: On form for Villa

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Aston Villa v Swansea

Swansea will be hoping to bag some points against Aston Villa for the first time in their history when the two sides clash on Monday.

The Welsh team have never won at Villa Park since 1936 and although they have been impressive in their first English Premier League season, history will no doubt give Villa an extra boost to produce a result.

Brendan Rodgers’ side also have a dismal away record which shows three draws and six losses in nine road trips in the league this season.

However, Villa have lost five of their last seven matches in front of their fans, but the team will be raring to go after producing a sensational 3-1 win at Chelsea on Saturday.

Goals from Stephen Ireland, Stiliyan Petrov and Darren Bent secured the win, with Ireland putting in an impressive performance.

The likes of Shay Given (hamstring), Emile Heskey (Achilles), Chris Herd (ankle) and Eric Lichaj (hip) are still sidelined for the 1982 European Cup winners, but they will head into the match with plenty of confidence.

Swansea also gained a good result in their last fixture, with Scott Sinclair’s 84th-minute equaliser enough to give them a point in a 1-1 draw against third-placed Tottenham.

Despite Swansea’s scramble to score a late goal, they fully deserved a point and again proved they belong in the top-flight with an exciting display of football.

Alan Tate (leg) and Ferrie Bodde (knee) are both long-term absentees for the visiting team.