Alan McInally: John McGinn could keep Aston Villa in Premier League

It's wonderful that the Premier League has followed the model of the Bundesliga and gone through the protocols which will hopefully mean that we can get the season concluded.

And hopefully my old club Aston Villa manage to survive somehow.

Both matches on Wednesday - Manchester City v Arsenal and Aston Villa v Sheffield United - are good games, so it's a great start.

There's been a lot of talk about Villa's home advantage but we look at the Bundesliga and there have been more away wins than home, so it really might not turn out that way.

Obviously my fingers are crossed for Villa. There are several things they just have to get right and the big one is to stop conceding so many goals.

I know Tyrone Mings is a good player, and he seems to be a leader, but I'm still not convinced.

He seems to be the one giving it "I am this, I am that" and that's ok but everyone needs to be together, it's not necessarily about him. If he wants to be the leader then he needs to make sure Villa stop conceding goals.

I'm maybe being unfair picking on Tyrone because it's a team game after all, but if he's one of their best players then he needs to impose his character on that Villa defence.

Aston Villa's remaining fixtures:

• Sheffield United (H)
• Chelsea (H)
• Newcastle (A)
• Wolves (H)
• Liverpool (A)
• Manchester United (H)
• Crystal Palace (H)
• Everton (A)
• Arsenal (H)
• West Ham (A)

It's not an easy start for Villa is it.

I think if we try and look too far ahead then it looks like no points, or maybe just a couple, from those first six games. Then you're hoping the likes of Brighton, West Ham and Bournemouth have an equally difficult time. But I don't think any game will be easy after the restart.

Normally when we're looking at having a little bet, you look at a team's form or players' form but you can't do that. You look at who might be available, but it looks as though everyone will be fit. Picking your strongest team as a manager should be the easiest thing for a long time.

Premier League relegation - Sky Bet odds

• Norwich - 1/16
• Aston Villa - 2/5
• Bournemouth - 4/5
• West Ham - 15/8
• Watford - 9/4
• Brighton - 11/4

In terms of results it's just a case of rolling your sleeves up and having to cope with the fact that there are no fans.

There have been a couple of moments in the Bundesliga when someone has done something fantastic and there's no cheer, no reaction. Players have to quickly get over that lack of euphoria for sure, as well as dealing with the cavernous sound of playing in empty stadiums.

I'm hoping, despite those very difficult fixtures for my old team, that there might be a few surprises in there because of the circumstances, and they might just be able to turn a few of the stronger sides over.

John McGinn being fit again could be the difference for Aston Villa.

Marcus Rashford coming back could be the difference to getting Manchester United in the top four, if Liverpool hadn't had Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino all season then it would have been the difference in the title race - that's how important McGinn, and Jack Grealish, are to Aston Villa.

That small margin, at the bottom end of the table especially, of having those best players available, will make the difference.

McGinn is such a good player, and again making a comparison with the Bundesliga, if he could do in nine or 10 games what Kai Havertz and Timo Werner have done for Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig, then one run of form could be enough to keep Villa in the Premier League.

But it's not just McGinn for Aston Villa, the other teams at the bottom are also getting players back, as well as having that beginning of the season optimism that they can get themselves out of trouble.

Reality only hits when that first whistle goes.

Jack Grealish is a wonderful footballer, a maverick who does his own thing a lot of the time, but a wonderful player. There are going to be clubs wanting to take him and John McGinn and even though Aston Villa is a huge football club it will be hard to keep them if they go down, which would be a disaster. I just hope they can bounce straight back if they do.

If some players have to leave then so be it, but if Villa can survive, hopefully that'll be enough for their best players to want to stay.

Follow Sporting Life on social - find us on Facebook here or tweet @SportingLifeFC

Related football content

• Premier League remaining fixtures
• Premier League Golden Boot betting
• PL relegation betting: Who's going down?
• Inside the PL race for Europe
• Premier League predictions: Five to follow
• Premier League: Punters' XI
• Injured XI: Returning PL stars
• Serie A: Betting trends to follow
• Serie A: Season predictions
• League Two play-offs preview
• Sporting Life App: Android & iOS
• Guide: How to bet online

Responsible gambling

We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

Sky Bet's responsible gambling tools are detailed here and if you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.

Further support and information can be found at GamCare and gamblingtherapy.org.