Aston Villa v Birmingham and three of the biggest English derbies

Games filled with fire and fury

It’s derby weekend in the Premier League and Championship as Tottenham clash with Arsenal and Birmingham City go to Aston Villa.

Derbies are always explosive affairs with neither side ready to give an inch. And that got the Coral News Team thinking, what are the fiercest city derbies in England?

In no particular order…

West Ham United v Millwall

Only a couple of miles separate these two London clubs, but over a century of hatred connect them.

The rivalry began in the early part of the 20th century with the match known as the Dockers Derby. Both sets of fans compromised most of dockers from either side of the Thames.

The two outfits have only met 11 times since 1990, with three wins apiece and four draws. It’s a seriously intense occasion each time they meet, with a heavy police presence.

Aston Villa v Birmingham

Known as the Second City derby, Villa-Blues is always a biggie on the football calendar.

Very few derbies across Europe match the hatred these two sets of fans hold for each other. And most of the games have to be played earlier in the day to curb crowd trouble.

There’s very little in it in terms of on the pitch, either. Villa have 52 wins to Birmingham’s 38, with 30 draws.

There have been some iconic moments over the years, none more so than Peter Enckelman’s howler at St. Andrew’s and Dion Dublin’s infamous headbutt on Robbie Savage.