Aston Villa forward Scott Hogan has claimed that he expects at least one of the club's rivals to "drop off" in the race for promotion from the Championship.

Before the international break, Villa suffered back-to-back defeats to Queens Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers respectively, and the West Midlands outfit now sit seven points adrift of second-placed Cardiff City.

However, the Republic of Ireland international has backed Villa to quickly make up ground in the race for a top-two place in the standings.

The 25-year-old told the Irish Mirror: "We were on a run but everyone has gone on a run at the same time. Someone is going to drop off.

"We've had a little blip and you've got to have little blips and we've got to play Cardiff. There are eight games to go and that's 24 points."

Villa are next in action when they face Hull City at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday evening.