Villa v Litex Lovech preview

Villa take commanding lead into the second leg of Uefa Cup clash

By Chris Burton   Last updated: 2nd October 2008

Villa v Litex Lovech preview

O'Neill: Ready to ring the changes

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Aston Villa have one foot in the group stages of the Uefa Cup ahead of their clash with Litex Lovech.

The Premier League outfit came from behind to claim a 3-1 victory in Bulgaria a fortnight ago, and will be confident of finishing the job off on home soil.

With vital away goals already in the bag, and a comprehensive defeat all that can prevent them from prolonging their European adventure, the Villans should be in for a comfortable night on Thursday.

Three consecutive victories in the English top flight have lifted them to third in the table, ensuring confidence will be high among Martin O'Neill's men.

O'Neill will also have the luxury of being able to rotate his squad for the Villa Park clash, allowing him to have a look at some of those on the fringes of his first-team squad.

However, Villa must guard against complacency and avoid slipping to an embarrassing first round exit.

They fell behind to the Bulgarian cup holders two weeks ago, through Ivelin Popov's free-kick, and will be keen to avoid a repeat of that situation this time around.

Impression

With so many changes expected to be made to their starting line-up it appears unlikely that those looking to make a positive impression on the manager would allow a commanding lead to slip through their fingers.

Having named the same starting XI for Villa's six Premier League fixtures so far, O'Neill is likely to hand James Milner, Brad Guzan, Craig Gardner, Carlos Cuellar, Zat Knight, Wayne Routledge, Isaiah Osbourne and Moustapha Salifou an opportunity to shine in Europe.

That will allow the Ulsterman to rest key men such as Brad Friedel, Luke Young, Martin Laursen, Curtis Davies, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor.

The game, though, does come too soon for Steve Sidwell, who is back in training following calf and knee problems but is not considered ready for action.

For Litex Lovech, French defender Cedric Cambon and full-back Mihail Venkov miss out as they are both suspended following their dismissals in the first leg.