Wednesday 23 May 2018 15:33, UK
Steve Bruce described Aston Villa's preparation for their Championship play-off final against Fulham as "absolutely ideal".
Villa can secure a return to the Premier League after two years in the Championship with a win over Slavisa Jokanovic's Fulham at Wembley on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Football.
Bruce's men drew 0-0 with Middlesbrough in the second leg of their semi-final on May 15 to progress 1-0 on aggregate, leaving them 11 days to prepare for the final against the Cottagers.
The Villa manager says recovery has been a problem for his side all season long but the extended period to prepare this week has been ideal.
He said: "The one Achilles heel for us all season, if we had one, was 'can we recover fast enough?' because of the relentlessness of the Championship.
"Obviously the age of my squad is not the youngest. To play on Saturdays and Tuesdays each week was always the big call.
"To have 10-11 days to prepare has been absolutely ideal for us. We had last weekend off and we have prepared all week.
"There is a certain freshness about us and hopefully we can go about the final the way we have trained all week. If we can do that then we give ourselves a chance."
Egypt international Ahmed Elmohamady is the only fitness doubt for Villa ahead of the game, but Bruce insists the wing-back is still in contention to feature on Saturday.
Bruce continued: "The only one we have had a question over in the last 10-12 days has been Elmohamady. The next 48 hours for him will be crucial, we'll give him as long as we can.
"He's trained the last couple of days so he could be in contention. We'll see how he recovers tomorrow and make a decision on Friday.
"He's [doing better than expected] and that doesn't surprise me. Over the eight years that I have had him I can't really remember him picking up any injuries. He trains every day and plays every game, one of those natural ones.
"I've had the privilege of working with him for eight years and a few different clubs and he is a manager's dream. He gets on with his job and can play in a few positions for you. He's going to the World Cup, of course, and I am delighted for him that he is.
"He's been a great professional for me down the years, if all players were like him my job would be easy."
