John McGinn's return from suspension to face Brentford on Saturday will be key for Aston Villa in their hunt for a Champions League spot, says BBC West Midlands' Daz Hale.

The midfielder was sent off against Tottenham Hotspur on 10 March, but the Villa skipper will return to the squad on Saturday as Unai Emery's side look to improve their recent home form against the Bees.

Aston Villa are fourth in the Premier League with seven games left to play this season. What have you made of what you’ve seen so far in 2024?

It has been extraordinary, really. The odd thing was that they had been incredible at home from the end of last season until the end of January, but were not doing so well away; going into the Wolves game last weekend, they had lost three out of four games at Villa Park, but they have not been beaten away since Boxing Day.

They have lost quite a lot of players to injury, with Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendía and Boubacar Kamara all out for the season with cruciate ligament injuries, but Unai Emery has just built a really good team.

Villa are comfortable with the way they play, they buy into his methods and they have, by and large, managed to find a level of consistency.

When you get to this stage of the season, the league table does not lie and the one thing they have managed to do every time they have been beaten is avoid defeat in the next game.

They have not lost two successive games, which speaks volumes about the mentality within the group.

The club have finished in the top four twice in Premier League history, with the last instance coming in 1995/96. Fifth place looks like it will be enough for a Champions League spot this year, but what would it mean to finish fourth or above?

It would mean the world to them. They are one of the few English teams to have won the European Cup and it is certainly the ambition to get into the Champions League. The supporters are hungry for it as playing in the Europa Conference League has given them another taste of what it is like and what it means.

The European Cup win was 42 years ago so, unless you are pushing 50, you either were not there or you were not old enough to remember it, so there are a lot of parents and grandparents telling their kids what it was like.

Everyone is hungry just to experience being in the Champions League again and, hopefully, they can go deep, if they get there. It would also help attract the calibre of players they would like in the summer if they can get there.

With all of that in mind, do you think there is a strong case for Unai Emery to win Manager of the Year?

Absolutely. When he came to the club 18 months ago, they had been staring down the barrel under Steven Gerrard, and he turned them around last season and got them into Europe.

They were even top of the Premier League around Christmas time, so there is not a bubble to burst; without spending too much money as yet, he has just built and completely changed the mindset.

The key thing is, with all good managers and coaches, he improves players. There are certain players who already had reputations and were seen as elite, but he has managed to get more out of them and get them to consistently produce.

He also seems to be a manager who thrives on and embraces pressure. In press conferences, a lot of managers just say they are taking it one game at a time, but you get the feeling he just loves the pressure and that is what he is in the game for.

'Pressure is not trying to get into Europe, pressure is trying to feed your kids' is his sort of mantra and I quite like that about him as well.

Which player should Brentford fans keep an eye on this weekend?

John McGinn. It will be his first game back after his three-match suspension and he is key to everything Villa do.

He is the heartbeat of the team in the middle of the park and a captain who leads by example.

How is Emery likely to set up his side?

He has changed things around without McGinn but, generally, he has used a back four this season.

He has used a back three from time to time, but he likes to have three in midfield and two behind the striker, but it may change if Ollie Watkins is unavailable at the weekend.

They play out from the back a lot and, quite often these days, Emiliano Martínez will have the ball and stare down the opposition striker, willing him to come and press.

They tend to play the same both home and away and they are a team who are quite progressive, playing through the lines.

And it is not just Watkins and Leon Bailey scoring; they have got goals right throughout the team.

Villa came from behind to beat Brentford 2-1 in December. What’s your score prediction this time?

I am expecting a tight game. It could also be the Ivan Toney versus Ollie Watkins shootout for a place in this summer’s England squad for Euro 2024, which will be a fascinating sideshow.

With the form Villa are in and with the momentum they have got, I think they will have just enough to edge it 2-1.