Police have warned Aston Villa and Birmingham City fans of potential arrests for unlawful behaviour ahead of their Tuesday night fixtures.

Villa will host Bologna in the Champions League, live on talkSPORT, whilst Birmingham welcome Bolton Wanderers to St Andrew’s in League One.

Villa and Birmingham both play at home on Tuesday nightAFP

The kick-offs at Villa Park and St. Andrew’s are set at 8pm and 7:45pm UK time respectively in what is a rare occurrence for the historic rivalry.

Villa and Birmingham have competed in the fierce Second City derby since 1879 and their grounds are around 2.4miles from each other.

It is therefore very uncommon for both teams to play at home on the same day but Tuesday night will see them to just that.

Birmingham Live report that there will be a ‘major police operation’ in the city as a result of the potential trouble that may take occur.

“We are used to dealing with large events including high-profile football matches and have a plan in place to allow fans to enjoy the game safely and keep the wider public safe,” Supt Jack Hadley told the news outlet.

“Having Bologna visit our city is a real celebration and a great opportunity to show off what our city has to offer.

“There will be additional officers within the city throughout the day to ensure all visitors are kept safe. I encourage anyone to engage with officers and say hello.

“Although we are not anticipating any issues, officers will deal with anyone not behaving as expected in a positive manner.

“Anyone behaving antisocially can expect to be dispersed from the city, and anyone committing criminal offences can expect to be arrested.

“We are really looking forward to being able to demonstrate the very best of British policing to all our visiting fans.”

Police have sent a warning to fans ahead of the fixturesGetty

Villa won their previous meeting against their arch rivals 1-0 in the Championship thanks to a Jack Grealish away at St. Andrew’s in March 2019.

They sealed promotion back to the Premier League in the following weeks, with Birmingham being relegated to League One in May 2024.

It remains to be seen when the Second City derby will return although it could happen this season if they are drawn together in the FA Cup.

However, Villa’s attention now turns to the Champions League, with their sights set on a third European win of the season.

Unai Emery’s side have so far beaten Young Boys and Bayern Munich to put them sixth in the league phase.

Their next opponents, Serie A side Bologna, sit 26th out of 36 having drawn to Shakhtar Donetsk and lost to Liverpool.

City rivals Birmingham are top of League One with ten games played and eight wins to their name in the third tier of English football.

Police want both sets of fans to behave in a ‘positive manner’Getty

They are two points ahead of their fellow American-owned side Wrexham with a game in hand as they aim for an instant return to the Championship.

Bolton, who are 11th in the table, will travel to St. Andrew’s off the back of four wins from their last five league matches.