STEVE BRUCE claims his Aston Villa players will be coming up against a “typical Tony Pulis side” when they take on Middlesbrough in the first leg of their play-off semi-final tomorrow afternoon.

Bruce will be in the away dug-out at the Riverside Stadium, having resumed his managerial duties earlier this week after an extremely difficult three-month spell that has seen him lose both of his parents.

The former Sunderland boss admits his double loss has forced him to reassess some of his priorities, but insists he remains as committed to footballing success as ever as he looks to guide Villa back to the Premier League.

Boro stand in his way over the next two matches, and while he has watched the Teessiders improve markedly since he celebrated a 1-0 success in Pulis’ first game as Middlesbrough manager, he is not expecting any surprises when he locks horns with the Welshman again tomorrow.

“I seem to have been going up against Tony Pulis for years and years,” said Bruce. “As you would expect, he is doing a very, very decent job.

“I think we all know what to expect – they are a typical Tony Pulis side and 40 per cent of the goals they have scored since he has been there have come from set-pieces. We will have to handle that. He has brought stability to that group in key positions, and they have just come from the Premier League.

“They are big opposition. The attacking players on both sides are in good form, and if you want to succeed, that is the area where your big players need to do well.

“The last time we played them, it was a classic away performance from us in what I think was Tony’s first game. We would love to repeat that, but they have improved immensely since then and he has had four or five months to implement which way he wants to do it and his way.”

While there is no away-goals rule in the play-offs, it will still be essential that Villa do not allow Boro to gain too much of an advantage to take to Villa Park on Tuesday night.

Bruce’s side lost just one of their last 15 home games in the regular season, and will start as strong favourites to make Wembley in three days’ time if they can avoid defeat tomorrow afternoon.

“We can’t win the tie in the first leg, but we just have to try to take something back to Villa Park,” said Bruce. “The aim has to be to stay in the tie and stay in the semi-final, and hope we can come out on top in the tie. You always need the bounce of the ball, a bit of luck and to play well.”

Villa will be without their first-choice left-back, Neil Taylor, which will almost certainly mean veteran defender Alan Hutton having to go up against the flying Adama Traore.

That will be a head-to-head Boro will look to exploit, but Bruce is hoping the experience of the likes of John Terry, Glenn Whelan and Robert Snodgrass will be an important factor.

“We went for experience when we signed players (last summer) because we needed people who could handle playing for Aston Villa,” said Bruce. “We have six or seven players who have been successful in the play-offs, so let’s hope that stands us in good stead.”