Who are Aston Villa’s biggest rivals? The Villans’ top five fiercest football rivalries

Aston Villa are one of English football's most historic clubs, and their place at the heart of the West Midlands means there is no shortage of local opponents with a reason to dislike them.

Geography plays a major role in several of the Villans' rivalries, but sporting competition and memorable flashpoints have added plenty of extra needle over the years.

The intensity of those rivalries has changed with the fortunes of the clubs involved. Birmingham City are Villa's obvious local enemies, while West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City and Leicester City have all developed varying degrees of animosity with their neighbours.

FootballGroundGuide takes a look at the five fiercest football rivalries involving the Villans below.

Birmingham City

There can be little argument that Birmingham City are Aston Villa's biggest rivals.

The Second City Derby pits two clubs separated by only a few miles against each other, with bragging rights in Birmingham at stake whenever they meet.

The rivalry dates back to 1879, although its modern intensity has been fuelled by some spectacular flashpoints. The 2010 meetings were particularly ugly, with violence inside and outside both grounds, while Alex McLeish's controversial move directly from Birmingham to Villa in 2011 enraged supporters on both sides.

The most notable recent chapter came in March 2019, when a Blues supporter invaded the pitch at St Andrew's and punched Villa captain Jack Grealish from behind. Grealish responded in the best possible fashion, scoring the only goal as Villa won 1-0.

Villa then went on to win ten consecutive matches and secure promotion at the end of the season. The derby has not been played since, making the anticipation for its next instalment even greater.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves are a significant West Midlands rival, although the fixture does not carry the same level of hostility as the aforementioned Second City Derby.

Villa have generally had Birmingham City to worry about, while Wolves' more traditional enemy is West Brom.

The close proximity of the clubs, however, means this has long been a regional battle. Villa Park and Molineux are separated by roughly 21 miles, and the rivalry was particularly strong during the early decades of the 20th century when both clubs regularly competed for major honours.

The modern fixture has taken on greater significance during periods when Villa and Wolves have been the West Midlands' leading representatives in the Premier League.

With other local rivals spending long periods outside the top flight, this has become a game supporters look for on the calendar, even if it remains some way behind the Birmingham derby in terms of outright intensity.

West Bromwich Albion

Villa's rivalry with West Brom is another contest driven by geography and regional pride.

The two clubs are only around four miles apart, making this one of the closest major rivalries in English football, even though both have historically had other clubs they dislike more.

The rivalry dates back to 1882 and has produced plenty of fierce encounters. There was even an early clash between supporters during the clubs' first meetings, while the rivalry reached another level in the late 1970s and early 1980s as both teams challenged near the top of the First Division.

Villa eventually won the 1980-81 league title during this period, while former West Brom and Villa player Cyrille Regis described the contest as effectively a battle to determine the best team in the Midlands.

Albion's rivalry with Wolves may traditionally be stronger for their supporters, but the hatred directed towards Villa remains obvious whenever the two teams meet.

Coventry City

Coventry City have a long-standing regional rivalry with Villa, although it is one that has traditionally meant considerably more to the Sky Blues than to the Villans.

A survey of supporters ranked Villa as Coventry's biggest rivals, while Villa fans placed Coventry much lower down their list of enemies.

The two clubs first met in league football during the 1936-37 season, with the fixture eventually becoming a regular meeting between two clubs from the Midlands. Villa have enjoyed the better of the head-to-head record, winning 32 of the 59 meetings between the sides.

There is still plenty of regional pride at stake, particularly when both clubs are competing at a similar level.

However, the rivalry has never quite matched Villa's battles with Birmingham, and Coventry have historically viewed Leicester City as another particularly important enemy.

Leicester City

Leicester City represent another Midlands rivalry for Aston Villa, although it is more accurately described as a regional derby than one of English football's truly fierce feuds.

The clubs are close enough geographically for meetings to carry plenty of local significance, but neither fanbase traditionally regards the other as its primary rival. Villa's biggest rivalry remains with Birmingham, while Leicester have stronger historical enmity with Nottingham Forest.

That does not mean there is no needle between the two. Their meetings can still provide plenty of competition and regional bragging rights, particularly when both are challenging near the top of English football.

However, in terms of history, hostility and cultural significance, Leicester sit some way below Villa's rivalries with Birmingham, Wolves and West Brom.