Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion at Villa Park.

This is the first of a big double-header between these West Midlands rivals in the space of four days with the pair also due to meet in the FA Cup on the weekend. Tonight is all about top-flight points, though, and the hosts are in desperate need of a victory in order to climb out of the drop zone, while West Brom are still not quite completely safe from the threat of relegation.

Kickoff at Villa Park is now less than an hour away, so let's get straight into things by taking a look at how the teams line up...

TEAM NEWS!

ASTON VILLA STARTING XI: Guzan, Hutton, Okore, Clark, Lowton, Westwood, Delph, Cleverley, Agbonlahor, N'Zogbia, Benteke

WEST BROMWICH ALBION STARTING XI: Foster, Dawson, McAuley, Lescott, Brunt, Morrison, Yacob, Fletcher, Gardner, Ideye, Berahino

Starting with the home side, then, and Tim Sherwood has opted to bring Charles N'Zogbia into the starting lineup in place of Scott Sinclair. That is a big call from the new man at the helm, but a change certainly needed to be made and he will be hoping the Frenchman can provide that additional spark needed in a wide area.

Ron Vlaar is now eligible having served his one-match suspension, although a calf injury sees him miss out on the squad entirely this evening. With Kieran Richardson and Aly Cissokho also nursing injuries, there is a place at left back for Matt Lowton, meanwhile, with Gabriel Agbonlahor and Christian Benteke once more given the nod up top.

As far as the visitors are concerned, Tony Pulis has decided to stick with a winning formula and name an unchanged side for the short trip to Villa Park. That means of course that Brown Ideye and Saido Berahino, both of whom were expected to miss out this evening due to a knee and foot injury respectively, are deemed fit enough to start from the off.

That is a huge bonus for the Baggies as they go in search of the points needed to climb further away from danger, with something close to a fully-fit squad to chose from. Victor Anichebe is still absent due to a groin injury, but with Berahino and Ideye fit it shouldn't matter too much at this stage.

BENCH WATCH!

ASTON VILLA SUBS: Given, Bacuna, Sinclair, Sanchez, Gil, Grealish, Weimann

WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUBS: Myhill, Wisdom, Pocognoli, Olsson, Baird, Mulumbu, Sessegnon

Carles Gil must make do with a place among the substitutes as far as the home side are concerned, as Sherwood makes just the one change to his starting lineup. Sinclair is the man who makes way for N'Zogbia, and he will be joined on the bench by another attacking threat in Andreas Weimann.

Pulis also has a nice selection of options to chose from among his backups should he wish, with a range of attacking and defensive talents. Jonas Olsson and Youssouf Mulumbu can add some steel to the midfield areas, while Stephane Sessegnon, caught up in a diving debate this week, is also a part of the Baggies subs.

A football stadium very much steeped in history. But will Premier League football be played her next season?

VILLA v WBA build-up pic: The wonderful sight of Villa Park. #AVFC #FightLikeLions pic.twitter.com/z5bLPtTcHT — Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) March 3, 2015

Of course, Villa Park has known nothing other than Premier League football over the years - this is an established top-flight outfit who are now fighting for their lives. Unlike in the past few seasons where experience has told and the club have managed to pull away from the danger zone, this time around it looks likely to be going right down to the wire. As things stand, Villa find themselves camped inside the relegation zone and bottom of the division's form table.

Not even a new manager at the helm could turn around the Villans' fortunes, with Sherwood overseeing two league defeats since taking over from Paul Lambert. There were minor positives to take from the losses against Stoke and Newcastle, but results are all that count at this stage. To put things into context, Villa are now without a win in 12 games in the Premier League, with seven defeats on the bounce.

This is the Midlands outfit's worst run of form in some 52 years, and they are now just one loss short of equalling a club record 13-straight defeats on the bounce. Yet there is still hope. A point tonight will take the Villans out of the relegation zone, but Sherwood himself has admitted that the target simply has to be all three points. He has targeted six wins from the final 11 games of the season, starting with the visit of local rivals West Brom.

Villa have a mixed bag of fixtures left to play after this evening, taking on Swansea, QPR, Everton, West Ham and Burnley at Villa Park, while facing Sunderland, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Man City away from home. You get the impression that their home record is going to be vital if they are to avoid the drop, with any points on the road (besides Sunderland) an added bonus. Whichever way you look at it, three points tonight really are a must to kickstart a strong finish to the campaign.

The new manager effect may not have worked at Villa just yet, but it has been a different story at The Hawthorns. Tony Pulis has built up a reputation of taking over sides showing signs of struggle before turning around their fortunes and leading them to something close to mid-table mediocrity. The Baggies certainly came under that struggling category before the Welshman took over, whereas they now find themselves in 13th place in the league table, a full eight points off the drop zone.

As ever under Pulis, they key has been making his side hard to beat. A quick glance at results under the Welshman may show a side struggling to find consistency, although it is a classic tale of picking up points on the road and winning your home games. Draws away at West Ham, Everton, Burnley and Sunderland, combined with home wins over Hull, Swansea and Southampton, ensure that West Brom have tasted defeat - against Tottenham - in just one of their last eight outings.

Furthermore, the Baggies have remaining right at the back. Three clean sheets in succession, and five in their seven games under Pulis as a whole, paints the picture of a disciplined side who make themselves compact and hard to break down. The question is - will that remain the case this evening? On the face of it, a point away from home - whether it be against a side at the top or bottom - has to be seen as a good outcome. Pulis himself has admitted that Albion cannot quite plan for Premier League football next season at this stage, so a professional performance is key tonight.

The first part of a big double-header for these sides, with an FA Cup quarter-final clash following up this league meeting in four days' time:

Villa v the Brom. Part one of two #WBA #SOTV

A photo posted by Heidi (@heidi_t93) on Mar 3, 2015 at 11:28am PST

DID YOU KNOW? West Brom found themselves five points and four places worse off than Villa at the turn of the year, while it is now they who hold an eight-point advantage over their West Midlands rivals.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS: Interestingly, each of the last 17 meetings between these sides has finished as either a draw or with a one-goal winning margin. That suggests we are in for another tight game this evening, although it is West Brom who tend to come out on top having tasted defeat just once in the last eight encounters. That came in this corresponding fixture last year, Villa winning 1-0 at The Hawthorns.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple of months, you probably would have heard all about Villa's poor record in front of goal. The stats seem to get worse with each passing game, with their tally of 13 goals all season some nine off the next worse side in Sunderland. They also 'boast' the worst conversion rate in the division (6.65) and lowest shots on target tally count at 72 overall.

There are two other games taking place elsewhere in the Premier League this evening; Hull City host Sunderland, while Crystal Palace face Southampton at St Mary's. Three of those sides find themselves in this tight and tense relegation battle, so updates will be provided from those fixtures throughout the night.

PREDICTION: All attention right now turns back to Villa Park, though, as both teams enter the field. The Holte End seem really up for this game, and so they should be - this is a huge, must-win match if they are to claw away from danger at the wrong end of the table. History suggests it will be a close affair with the odd goal deciding it, and despite West Brom's fine defensive record of late and the Villans' poor record in attack, I'm backing the hosts to claim a 1-0 win.

KICKOFF! We are underway at Villa Park, as West Brom get things underway. A positive start is vital as far as the home side are concerned, and they certainly have the backing of their supporters.

A rather tentative start as both sides look to weigh each other up. Okores' clearance was rather poor a few moments ago which allowed Ideye and Berahino to link up, but it came to nothing to the relief of the Villa centre-half.

Villa are knocking the ball well in midfield, but struggle when it comes to getting it forward into advanced areas. Once more the hosts' nervous-looking backline almost come unstuck as Ideye runs in behind, although enough men managed to get back to avert the danger.

Sherwood's men, perhaps understandably, looking somewhat nervous in these opening stages. They have knocked it around well at times in midfield, but the Villans simply have to get it forward into the feet of Benteke and Agobonlahor at a quicker rate.

Delph picks out Benteke with a fine searching ball over the top, only for the Belgian to be flagged for offside. Good intention for Villa, but the fine margins were against them.

Villa remain the only side in English football's top four divisions without a win since the turn of the year, and what they would give for three points this evening. Not a great deal of note has happened inside the opening 10 minutes or so, but there is still plenty of time left to play.

The Villa full-backs are looking to provide plenty of width, and Hutton's ball in from the right had to be headed away by the Albion defence. They have a brilliant defensive record under Pulis, so it will take a perfectly-timed move to get the better of this stern backline.

We've seen plenty of niggling challenges across the park which has given this the feel of a cup tie. Villa still pressing forward but unable to find a way through.

CLOSE! The first big talking point of the contest comes with 15 minutes on the clock, as Agbonlahor's shot, which squirmed under the arms of Foster, just about stops short of the line. Goal-line technology was needed to decide the outcome, and it revealed that a quarter of the ball had failed to cross the whole of the line. Foster will be the most relieved man inside Villa Park.

Sherwood has himself admitted that the pressure is on to get off the mark, starting with a positive result this evening:

1964 - The last Aston Villa manager to lose his opening three league games in charge was Dick Taylor in August 1964. Pressure.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 3, 2015

This is a sport all about fine margins, of course, and decisions do not come tighter than the one we saw a short while ago. Villa were literally within inches of taking the lead through Agbonlahor's shot, only for goal-line technology to see their hopes dashed.

SHOT! Tom Cleverley, without a goal this campaign, opts to try his luck from range with a shot which was always rising. If you don't buy a ticket...

SHOT! N'Zogbia opts to shoot from 40 yards out from a free kick, much to the dismay of his teammates who were waiting for the cross inside the area. Foster got down to easily collect the ball, and at the same time regain some confidence following his howler a little earlier.

Villa have taken the lead through Agbonlahor, and you have to say it has been deserved on what we have seen in the opening quarter of the game. The front two linked up well, Benteke nodding the ball on for his teammate to race through and tuck the ball through the legs of Foster. That is his first goal in 14 outings, which will do his confidence the world of good.

Sherwood's men took the lead against Stoke in their last home game, of course, before losing late on in that one. The Villans have certainly been the better side so far, so they really can't afford to sit off at this stage and allow their opponents onto them.

OFF THE LINE! It really should be 2-0. A simple long-ball over the top proves West Brom's undoing, which is so uncharacteristic judging by recent results, but Agbonlahor's poked finish beyond Foster is kept off the line by Lescott. Foster failed to get the ball after racing out, so for the third time this evening he has made a questionable decision.

Agbonlahor may have gone down after getting the better of Foster, but he stayed on his feet to get a shot away which was cleared off the line by Lescott. Just moments before that incident, Hutton fired over from 25 yards out following a decent team move. It's all one-way traffic in this West Midlands derby.

A little better from West Brom as they manage to get into the final third of the pitch and win themselves a corner. The set piece lacked any real quality, although Villa still struggled somewhat to clear the danger. The Villans may rue failing to make the most of their heavy spell of pressure over the past 20 minutes or so should the Baggies peg them back.

Things have gone a little quiet over the past five minutes, but it has been a frantic first half thus far on the whole. Villa have had two shots stopped on the line, one requiring goal-line technology to decide the outcome, while also edging ahead through Agbolhaor's well-taken strike. West Brom have yet to get out of first gear.

Lescott gets caught in possession before teammate Brunt himself gives the ball away. It was Villa who looked nervy in the opening five minutes, but it is now the visitors who are struggling to string more than a few passes together.

A cross into the box almost catches Villa out as Guzan fails to get to the ball, although Morrison seemed to halt his run with the ball going straight out of play for a goal kick.

Almost a chance for the Villans to bag a second as Cleverley's cross from the right is headed away just as Benteke looked as though he was going to get on the end of it. That was a vital interception at the back to deny the Belgian, who certainly knows how to find the net from that range.

YELLOW CARD! Yacob becomes the first player to enter the referee's book for his challenge on N'Zogbia. He will be walking a tightrope for the remainder of the contest.

If there has been one negative of this first-half performance from a Villa perspective, it has been the performance of their centre-backs. Okore in particular has fluffed a number of clearances, which so far have gone by unpunished.

OFF THE POST! So, so close to a second Villa goal. Some fine interplay between Delph and N'Zogbia leads to the latter finding some space on the edge of the area and curling a shot which crashed back off the post. The hosts deserve to be more than a goal to the good heading into the interval.

Referee Jonathan Moss brings the opening 45 minutes to a close with Villa holding a slender 1-0 lead over their West Midlands rivals. In truth, that tally should have been far greater because there has been just one side in this game so far.

Gabriel Agbonlahor bagged the all-important goal on 22 minutes, his first in 14 outings, sliding the ball through the legs of Foster having been played in by Benteke. That come after the Englishman saw his shot just about kept out by Foster, with goal-line technology showing that a quarter of the ball failed to cross the whole of the line.

Villa haven't looked back, either, as Agbonlahor once more saw his effort kept out on the line, this time by Lescott, while Delph's curled effort crashed back off the upright on the brink of half time. West Brom are still very much in this game, but they really need to up things in the second half if they are to dent their rivals' survival hopes.

The Baggies have looked dodgy at the back thus far, which is completely against the grain in terms of their recent defensive record:

440 - Agbonlahor's goal was the first to be conceded by West Brom in 440 minutes (all competitions). Breached.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 3, 2015

BENCH WATCH!

ASTON VILLA SUBS: Given, Bacuna, Sinclair, Sanchez, Gil, Grealish, Weimann

WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUBS: Myhill, Wisdom, Pocognoli, Olsson, Baird, Mulumbu, Sessegnon

Just the one shot on goal in the first half as far as West Brom are concerned, compared to Villa's six. Elsewhere this evening, meanwhile, Hull City lead Sunderland 1-0, while Palace and Southampton are playing out a goalless draw. Things looking good for Sherwood, then, as the two teams re-emerge for the second half.

SECOND HALF UNDERWAY! We will surely see an improved West Brom performance over these next 45 minutes, or else maybe they will be looking over their shoulders once more.

Good pressing from Albion over the past couple of minutes, which perhaps suggests that Pulis had a word or two to say at the break. I'll be shocked if Villa dominate the attacking chances as much as they did in the first half.

Villa seem to have plenty of confidence, buoyed by that first-half showing, with their passing moves really easy on the eye. That said, that scoreline still remains at just the single goal, so they will be keen to add a second while on top.

YELLOW CARD! Agbonlahor has been fantastic this evening, and following a barnstorming run towards the opposition box, his charge is halted by Lecott which earns the English defender a booking.

Westwood, who misplaced just one of his passes in the first half, steps up to take the resulting free kick but he is unable to test Foster. It is still the Villans who are dominating things.

A rare attacking move from Albion down the right culminates in Dawson getting a cross into the area, which is well blocked away by Lowton. Could that be the start of the tide turning somewhat?

Okore, who has looked a little dodgy this evening, is drawn into a foul by Ideye which will allow West Brom to whip a cross into the box from a dangerous area.

CHANCE! By far the Baggies' best chance of the contest so far - arguably their only chance! The cross from Brunt's free kick was met by Dawson just a few yards from goal, but he headed over the bar. The defender really should have been testing Guzan at the very least from there.

So for the first time tonight it is West Brom who are on top, and it looks like Sherwood will respond by making a change shortly. This game is nicely balanced as we head into the final 30 minutes.

ASTON VILLA SUB: Grealish is introduced for his first Villa appearance since New Year's Day, replacing N'Zogbia on the hour mark.

The match has gone through a little quiet spell over the past few minutes, with the onus still very much on the Baggies to find a response. Sherwood has already played one of his cards with the introduction of Grealish, and it is surely only a matter of time before Pulis makes his move.

West Brom are still struggling to click into gear, as Guzan remains a mere spectator between the sticks. The reported lack of fitness of strike-duo Ideye and Berahino may have something to do with their lack of attacking intent in these opening 64 minutes.

Morrison manages to get a decent cross into the box which Clark cuts out for a corner. Chance here for the Baggies to get the ball into the area once more and test the Villa defence.

This game takes a cruel twist as West Brom level things up. Villa should be two or three goals in front, but credit to the visitors because with 22 minutes left to play they have pegged their rivals back. Brunt's cross proved dangerous a short while ago, and it was his delivery which led to this key goal as Lescott brilliantly headed back across goal at the back post for Berahino to nod home from close range.

CHANCE! Having been 1-0 down a few minutes ago, West Brom could well have been 2-1 up. Goalscorer Berahino created the chance with a sublime through-ball for Morrison to race onto, but he opted to play the ball across goal rather than take a shot on, with the ball just about being cleared away before it reached the Nigerian.

SHOT! This game has well and truly come to life following a short barren spell. A cross into the box was well met by Grealish, although his volleyed-attempt was right down the throat of Foster who kept a hold of the ball.

How big could that goal prove to be come the end of the season?

Saido Berahino scores with West Brom's first shot on-target tonight. pic.twitter.com/aPJfA4gvw2 — Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 3, 2015

These final 14 minutes or so really are huge in the grand scheme of things. Villa have been brilliant for an hour or so, but just as the Baggies found some momentum they managed to level things up. A point would see the Villans climb out of the bottom three for the time being, although it will feel like a defeat.

ASTON VILLA SUB: A second alteration from Sherwood, as Bacuna replaces Cleverley. Could that provide the spark needed to push on and grab a second goal?

Villa continue to get some decent crosses into the box, with West Brom clearing away time and again. It looks as though the home side will be the ones asking all the questions in the final 10 minutes - they need the three points far more than their local rivals.

YELLOW CARD! West Brom are well set up to hit their opponents on the counter, and after hauling back Ideye, Clark is shown the game's third yellow card by referee Jonathan Moss.

ASTON VILLA SUB: Agbonlahor, the Villans' best player tonight, is replaced by Weimann with eight minutes to go. That's a strange one in my opinion, because the Englishman has been a real threat.

Incidentally, Sunderland have pegged back Hull City at the KC Stadium with the game poised at 1-1 on Humberside. It doesn't directly effect things here, with Villa currently outside the bottom three. Southampton have also just taken the lead against Crystal Palace.

The Villans are not creating chances at the same rate as they were early in the contest, as the Baggies shut up shop. They are more than happy with a point which will take them even closer to safety. The hosts are fast running out of time to find a winner.

YELLOW CARD! Gardner becomes the latest player to earn a caution following his late tackle on Hutton.

Things have boiled over a little here following a minor incident which saw Hutton catch Berahino with a high boot. Jonathan Moss is now having a word with a few players which could lead to a booking or two.

YELLOW CARDS! Indeed, Hutton is shown a yellow which will see him now miss his side's next two games - including the FA Cup quarter-final on the weekend - while Berahino is also booked for retaliating.

Villa looking a little nervous late on as West Brom pile the pressure on from wide areas, although they deal with it well. The Baggies could knick this one late on.

Villa win a free kick in a dangerous area which substitute Bacuna steps over. Instead of crossing it from the tight angle he instead looks to become a hero and shoots high and wide.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUB: Pulis finally makes a change in added time, bringing on Baird for Morrison to shore things up in a defensive sense.

Incredible drama at Villa Park! The Villans come close to finding a way through only for Foster to pull off a big save, but the danger is not dealt with and the Englishman rushes out and brings down an opponent. Poor goalkeeping which left Moss with no choice but to award a pen.

Benteke coolly sends Foster the wrong way to fire Villa into a dramatic late lead. What a twist at Villa Park and a potentially decisive moment in this Premier League survival race.

Jonathan Moss draws this breathtaking contest at Villa Park to a close. The hosts have been the better side, and you have to say they deserved that late winner. Foster, poor throughout, was the man at fault for bringing down Lowton in his area with just seconds remaining.

Well that's all from me for the time being, but be sure to stick around with a full match report, analysis and player ratings to follow from the West Midlands.