Mason Holgate is booked for a foul on John McGinn out on the Villa left and the hosts have a good opportunity here from the set-piece.

Jack Grealish whips in an inswinger, but Chris Brunt heads it clear.

Ged Scott
BBC Sport at Villa Park

Image source, Getty Images

That Dwight Gayle goal changed the mood inside Villa Park.

Villa's fans had been vibrant after a confident start, anticipating the goal they sensed was coming.

Instead, having already been rattled by that one effort from Jay Rodriguez which came back off the bar, the goal came at the wrong end. And thanks to an error too - even worse!

And now it's really only the Albion fans you can hear singing, intermingled with some tension-filled bursts of passion from the home fans when their team try to press forward.

Jay Rodriguez and Dwight Gayle combine well for the visitors but Rodriguez's shot from range is scuffed wide.

Jimmy Shan will be thrilled with his side's first-half effort.

Villa take another corner short and this time it works, as Jack Grealish drives in to the penalty area from the left, but his shot from a tight angle is blazed too high and over.

Villa win a corner, but they waste it, taking it short. It's intercepted by a lively Dwight Gayle.

Villa's Anwar El Ghazi makes a good run down the left, but Kyle Bartley uses his strength well to usher the ball out for a goal kick. Good defending.

Now can Villa find the sort of form they produced in their 10-game winning run? They've got work to do.

Image source, Getty Images

It's Dwight Gayle's 24th goal of the season, but few others will have come with so little effort required in the build-up.

He still had plenty to do - and it's a powerful finish - but you can't give the on-loan Newcastle striker a chance like that.

Josh Earl: Wow Dwight Gayle, absolutely ruthless. There are few better at scoring goals in the Championship.

Gary O'Brien: Now we shall see what Villa are made of. The BBC prediction that WBA would score proves good. Let’s hope the expectation that AVFC will win is also right.

Tony Brown
Former West Brom striker on BBC WM 95.6

A clinical finish, a poacher's goal. He's drilled it into the corner. Just the start Albion need.

Image source, Rex Features

At the other end, John McGinn slightly overhits a Villa free-kick, past everyone waiting in the penalty area.

Towards the back of the box, Ahmed Hegazi and Villa's Tyrone Mings tangle a bit, and a few fans call for a penalty, but there wasn't much in that to be honest.

Suddenly, West Brom could have taken the lead.

Firstly, Neil Taylor and Villa keeper Jed Steer get in each other's way, trying to clear Chris Brunt's free-kick.

They get away with it initially, but then eventually the ball finds its way to Jay Rodriguez on the edge of the area, and he bends a cracking shot towards the top corner.

But Steer does brilliantly to tip it on to the crossbar. That's so, so close.

West Brom are unbeaten in their past four games against Villa and have won on both of their past two trips to Villa Park.

But it's Dean Smith's side who are on top in these early stages.

Image source, Rex Features

A lovely cross from Anwar El Ghazi is defended well by Chris Brunt, but nevertheless Villa win another corner.

From it, Sam Johnstone makes the punch to get the ball away from Tyrone Mings' head.

West Brom are having to withstand some early pressure here.

John McGinn bends a clever ball towards Albert Adomah at the far post, but the hosts' winger is offside.

The home side have started the brighter.

Neil Taylor wins Villa the game's first corner.

They take it quickly - perhaps inspired by Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold from Tuesday - but Glenn Whelan heads over the bar.

Villa are playing with a 4-3-3, while the Baggies are 5-3-2 when they're without the ball, but with wing-backs Mason Holgate and Kieran Gibbs poised to push forward when they do have it.

Remember, you can listen to the game live in the West Midlands region on BBC WM 95.6, as well as updates on BBC Radio 5 Live with Pat Murphy and (whisper it - former Birmingham City striker) Clinton Morrison.