Aston Villa's form under Dean Smith continued to impress this weekend as they saw off Middlesbrough 3-0 at the Riverside.

The Villans have looked like finally reaching their potential since Smith took over, and the goals of Tammy Abraham as well as some stellar performances from others in the first XI have meant the club are right back in the hunt for a playoff spot.

But we here in the Tavern don't think a playoff spot will be where it ends for Villa, and we think that the Midlands club will be one of the teams to watch out for in terms of the top two come the end of the season.

Smith has got his team playing some superb football, and with a squad blessed with both creative and pacey talents, they are fitting right into the methods which Smith employs while in charge of any football club.

It's for this reason that we think Villa will be right in the automatic promotion picture come the end of the season, especially if they can keep hold of Abraham, who is now firmly back to his best following what was an inconsistent start to the campaign.

With money to spend if needed in January, and confidence already high, it's hard to look past Villa at the moment and it would be a big surprise to see them not in the promotion picture come May 2019.

Villa fans, what do you think? Do you agree? Let us know in the comments!