Villa begin phase two of the Barclays U21 Premier League today with a clash against Middlesbrough at Bodymoor Heath.

The boys in claret and blue will compete in the second tier of the competition along with Boro, Everton, Blackburn, Sunderland, Chelsea and Fulham after a fourth-place finish in phase one.

Gordon Cowans' team will be determined to get back to winning ways after consecutive defeats to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur last month.

The likes of Graham Burke, Michael Drennan, Daniel Johnson and Samir Carruthers will all be looking to play a part in this afternoon's clash, which kicks off at 1.30pm.

The game was originally due to take place at Hinckley last night but was called off following a pitch inspection.

Villa and Middlesbrough met in the U18 league on Saturday, with the claret and blues bagging all three points when Jerell Sellars fired them to a 1-0 victory.

Follow all the action from today's clash with live audio commentary on AVTV from 1.30pm.