AI names the best all-time Birmingham City and Aston Villa combined XI | OneFootball

AI has named the best combined side out of those who starred for the Second City rivals

The Second City derby between Birmingham City and Aston Villa is, undoubtedly, up there as one of the most hostile in English football.

Despite the mixed fortunes of both Blues and Villa in recent years, meaning that the bitter feud isn't played out anywhere near as often as the Manchester or Merseyside derbies, that doesn't take anything away from the animosity showcased by one set of supporters to the other.

Birmingham are hoping that the fixture becomes much more regular in the years to come, with ownership group Knighthead holding lofty ambitions of making the B9 club a competitive force in the Premier League amid the anticipated move to a 62,000-seater stadium.

Meanwhile, it is very much the Villans who have had the 'Indian sign' over their bitter rivals in recent years, not losing a league encounter since April 2005 whilst finishing above Blues in every season since 2002/03.

Despite the multitude of aforementioned factors, both clubs have had a fair share of players who are now immortalised in either Small Heath or Aston. With that in mind, FLW has asked ChatGPT to pick a combined XI of Blues and Villa legends in a suitable formation - in this case, a 4-3-3.

GK: Peter Schmeichel

AI has selected former Villa man, Peter Schmeichel between the sticks.

Despite being better-known for his exploits during a lengthy association with Manchester United, the Danish shot-stopper remained an impressive figure during a brief stint at Villa Park, which also saw him become the first goalkeeper in Premier League history to score a goal, doing so in a 3-2 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park.

RB: Kenny Swain

AI has picked former Villa full-back Kenny Swain at right-back, with the Birkenhead-born man making 179 appearances for the B6 outfit between 1978 and 1983.

The defender remains a very underrated part of the Villans' most-successful period, being a mainstay in the side which won the Division 1 title using just 14 players under Ron Saunders in 1980/81, before being crowned European Cup champions the following season under Tony Barton as Saunders controversially made a switch to St. Andrew's in March 1982.

CB: Paul McGrath

Paul McGrath's career has previously been well-documented, with the Irishman adopting the nickname 'God' at Villa Park for his contributions when injury-free.

After initially signing in 1989 under Graham Taylor, the centre-back remained integral under Josef Venglos and Ron Atkinson, and his colossal performances at the back in the inaugural 1992/93 Premier League season saw McGrath named PFA Player of the Year.

The defender went on to be a part of two EFL Cup-winning triumphs in B6 in 1994 and 1996, and also had a 'testimonial' Second City derby match against Birmingham to celebrate his efforts back in May 1995, shortly after Blues were crowned third tier champions.

CB: Trevor Smith

Trevor Smith may not be as well-recognised as some legends at St. Andrew's, but that takes nothing away from what was a fine career of his between the 1950s and 1960s.

After progressing through the ranks, Smith became a mainstay in the side which reached the 1956 FA Cup final and achieved a club-record finish of sixth in the top flight, before becoming captain later in the decade.

Arguably, one of Smith's finest achievements - alongside two England caps - was when he lifted the EFL Cup in 1962/63 as Blues defeated their bitter rivals 3-1 over two legs in the final, despite being major underdogs at the time.

LB: Steve Staunton

Steve Staunton is very much a cult figure to those who saw the Irishman feature across two spells at Villa Park, with the first of those coming in a relatively successful period.

The left-back was known for the occasional spectacular goal, as well as being part of a reliable defence that narrowly missed out on the Premier League title in 1993 before winning the EFL Cup against Manchester United less than a year later and again against Leeds in 1996.

Staunton also made a return to the West Midlands between 2000 and 2003, where he made a further 87 appearances.

CM: Gordon Cowans

Gordon Cowans is, arguably, Villa's greatest-ever midfield player, oozing quality on the ball all the way through his career.

The Durham-born man successfully progressed through the ranks and made his senior debut at the age of just 17, before becoming integral to the aforementioned success enjoyed by Saunders and Barton's sides of the early-to-mid 1980s.

As well as winning the First Division, UEFA European Cup and UEFA Super Cup, Cowans was named the 1979/80 Young Player of the Year for his exploits, and he returned to Villa Park in 1988 for a second spell in which the club finished second in 1989/90, before returning briefly for a third cameo in 1993.

Overall, he made 453 appearances and scored 49 times.

CM: Trevor Francis

Despite predominantly featuring in a more advanced position for Blues, AI has shoehorned Trevor Francis into a deeper midfield role in this XI.

The Plymouth-born man has become - literally - immortalised (in bronze) at St Andrew's for his achievements as a player and manager, which all started at the age of just 16.

After scoring 15 times in just 22 appearances - which included four against Bolton Wanderers - during his initial breakthrough, Francis' first full season ended in a return to the top-flight for Blues, where they stayed throughout the remainder of his spell as a player.

A constant scorer of remarkable goals and a reliable assist-maker, which included 29 goals in all competitions in 1977/78, Francis became English football's first £1m player in February 1979 with a move to Nottingham Forest, and within months became a legend at the City Ground for his European Cup-winning header against Malmö.

Francis returned to Birmingham as manager in 1996, but was unable to guide the club back to the top-flight with three unsuccessful play-off campaigns and an agonising defeat to Liverpool in the 2001 EFL Cup final.

CM: Dennis Mortimer

Another fine midfielder of the 1970s and early 80s generation was Villa captain, Dennis Mortimer.

After joining from fellow West Midlands side Coventry City in December 1975, the Liverpudlian became the most-successful captain in B6 history, winning four major honours, including having the pleasure of being the man who lifted the European Cup for their 1-0 success over Bayern Munich in Rotterdam back in May 1982.

Following his exit from Villa Park in 1985, Mortimer did feature for Blues in the 1986/87 second tier, a campaign which nearly resulted in the club falling into the third tier for the first time ever as they escaped relegation by just two points.

RW: Brian Little

AI's first forward is Brian Little, who remained a 'one club man' throughout his short career, although that could have been very different.

Little oversaw Villa's rapid rise from the third tier to the top-flight in just four years as he broke into the first-team fold, with his 20 goals in 34 appearances key to the club's promotion in 1975, before also scoring 26 times in 56 appearances across all competitions in the 1976/77 campaign.

Unfortunately, a back injury forced Little to retire aged just 26, although the early signs of such issues were spotted as he agreed in principle to a reported £600,000 switch from Villa Park to St. Andrew's after a falling out with the aforementioned Saunders.

Little would return to B6 in a managerial capacity in the 1990s, in which he initially preserved the club's Premier League status in 1995, before winning the EFL Cup less than a year later, enjoying multiple European stints and making cult heroes such as Mark Bosnich, Gareth Southgate, Ian Taylor and Savo Milosevic.

LW: Christoph Dugarry

Remarkably, AI has only selected three players of a Blues persuasion, with the last of those being the cultured Frenchman, Christoph Dugarry.

The playmaker had won the World Cup less than five years before his move to the Second City, yet his influence on Steve Bruce's side was equally as important as they finished 13th in their first season in the newly-formatted Premier League on loan from Bordeaux.

After an initial loan spell in which he scored five times in 16 appearances, a permanent transfer was secured, although it couldn't have been more contrasting as Dugarry left the club in March 2004 due to personal issues.