Laursen: Skipper's call

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Martin Laursen insists he is revelling in the pressure generated by Aston Villa's fine start to the season, as he prepares for Thursday night's Uefa Cup game against Slavia Prague.

A disappointing 2-0 loss at Newcastle on Monday night is hardly the ideal preparation for a tough European away day, but Laursen insists the mood in Villa's camp remains buoyant.

Villa kicked off their group stage campaign with a defeat of Ajax and captain Laursen believes Martin O'Neill's charges must now show their quality by winning through to the competition's latter stages.

"The pressure is on and the expectation is high," Laursen told the Birmingham Mail.

"We just have to deal with it because if we want to be a big club, then we have to deal with the pressure.

"That is how it is. To get something out of the Slavia Prague game would be great - be it one or three points.

"It is an exciting time because of those expectations. The pressure is on.

"We all know that as players, but we have a good team so we can deal with it."

Tough test

A congested fixture schedule of late has placed extra pressure on Villa's squad but Laursen insists all successful sides must be able to cope with playing two games a week.

"We are faced with a tough schedule but if you feel good physically then it is nice to play a lot of games," he added.

"It is great to play games. It is better to win them, obviously, than to lose them but when all you are doing is preparing for games it is nice.

"Sometimes you need a whole week to train and to relax but these periods are nice as well.

"And we have done well, so we have enjoyed the season.

"When we get the Prague and Middlesbrough games out of the way we will have a period of three weeks where we only play three games each week.

"We just have to be strong this week and do well. Then we have the chance to relax during next week."