Gerard Houllier's appointment at Aston Villa continues to polarise opinion but he has a major chance to improve his popularity if he can continue his private hoodoo over Sir Alex Ferguson.

Houllier is in an exclusive club of managers to have regularly triumphed over Ferguson and he will head into this showdown having beaten the Scot many times during his spell at Liverpool.

In 2000 he led Liverpool to their first victory over United in ten years before embarrassing United in the 2003 League Cup Final.

The Frenchman badly needs another priceless win as he bids to recover from what has been an underwhelming start to his tenure at Villa Park.

The snooze-inducing damp squib that was the Manchester derby on Wednesday night extended United's unbeaten run to a whopping 25 games in all competitions.

However, they have now drawn five their last six Premier League away games and Ferguson urgently needs to find a solution if he is to keep up the heat on Chelsea.

Key Match-Up: Ashley Young v Rio Ferdinand. Young has been given a licence to roam in a new role that has become a necessity due to the injury crisis that has gripped Villa Park. The winger has often been accused of going "missing" against the Big Four and needs a performance here. Ferdinand is steadily finding his feet again after returning from injury and appears to be making defending look easy again.

Form Guide: Villa's win over Blackpool on Wednesday night was only their first in six games and eased a little of then tension that had been building. United are desperate to end their frustrating sequence of draws on the road as they bid to cut Chelsea's lead at the top of the league, that currently stands at four points.

Odds: Villa 7/2, United 4/5, Draw 13/5

ASTON VILLA:

Houllier faces United for the first time since 2004 on a mission to end a run for Villa that stretches back even further.

Although Martin O'Neill led Villa to an impressive win at Old Trafford last season, United have not been beaten by the Birmingham claret and blue for 15 years.

That was the famous afternoon when TV pundit Alan Hansen claimed a beaten United "won't win anything with kids" which, of course, proved horribly inaccurate.

But Houllier, who has had many duels with Ferguson over the years, is desperate to bring an end to Villa's long wait for a win over the master manager at Villa Park.

He said: "We have not won against them here in the league for a long time. It's too long but it means at some stage it will change - whether that is this year, next year or whenever.

"At some stage it has to stop. We hope in front of our fans, we can do a good job. We cannot give them too much respect, we must not watch them play.

"We had not won at Old Trafford for a long time but we managed that last year. But it will certainly be nice to catch up with Sir Alex again.

"We've met several times since I left Anfield – he's been a friend for a long time. Before and after Liverpool, coaching, foreign trips, we've been friends and whatever happens on Saturday we will remain friends.

"There was a programme made in France about his personality and achievement. He's highly regarded, I mean, he's a genius."

Strategy: While Hansen once said United won't win anything with kids, Houllier will be hoping it doesn't ring true for Villa in this game. Due to a severe injury crisis, it will be a relatively inexperienced side with the likes of Nathan Delfouneso, Barry Bannan and Ciaran Clark expected to start. Houllier will send them out to sink or swim and will be hoping it is the latter if he is to avoid a heavy defeat. The return of Gabby Agbonlahor could be crucial, as the Villa striker has proven a menace to United in recent encounters.

Injury Update: Agbonlahor could start after playing an hour against Blackpool but Carlos Cuellar (calf), Habib Beye (ankle), Nigel Reo-Coker (knee), John Carew (calf), Emile Heskey (knee), Stiliyan Petrov (knee), Steve Sidwell (Achilles), Stephen Ireland (bug) are all ruled out.

MANCHESTER UNITED:

They remain unbeaten - and in title mix - despite an indifferent start to the season by their usual high standards.

But this only spells danger to the rest of the Premier League, according to United midfielder Darron Gibson.

Ferguson's team have yet to click into top gear, but Gibson said: " Everyone's saying we're not playing that well and there's no way we'll win the title this year.

"But we haven't lost yet and we're still up there. I don't think we've been playing badly, but I know we can play a lot better.

"And when we start playing well on a consistent basis - things are only going to get better. Nobody in the squad's worrying too much as it's still only November."

United have only earned a point at Villa Park on their last two visits, but Irishman Gibson, 23, said: "It's a tough place to go. It's nothing to do with the stadium or the fans, it's just because Villa are a good team.

"They haven't started as well this season as they would have hoped but they're still a top side. We just need to create a few more chances. If we do that, I'm confident we'll score and pick up three points. We want to kick on now, keep improving and go on another winning run."

Strategy: The Manchester derby was always going to prove a tough test for United, but expect them to attack Villa more than they did their rivals in a game where they were desperate to avoid defeat.

Injury Update: Wayne Rooney misses out as he returns from his fitness programme in America. Paul Scholes is doubtful, whileMichael Owen and Owen Hargreaves (both hamstring) are out along with long-term absentee Antonio Valencia. Read More: Aston Villa Manchester United 

Aston Villa (Probable, 4-4-1-1): Friedel; L Young, Dunne, Collins, Warnock; Downing, Bannan, Clark, Albrighton; A Young; Delfouneso.

Blackpool (Probable, 4-3-3): Gilks; Eardley, Keinan, Evatt, Crainey; southern, Adam, Vaughan; Taylor-Fletcher, Campbell, Varney.

Referee: Anthony Taylor. Matches: 3. R1 Y9.

Villa are unbeaten at home in the league, winning two and drawing three, and while they have scored just five goals at Villa Park they have conceded just one; only Chelsea have a better defensive record at home with no goals conceded.

Gerard Houllier’s side finally ended their goal scoring jinx, at Fulham, when Marc Albrighton – who scored their last goal – netted at Fulham on Saturday to claim the club’s first in 385 minutes.

Nigel Reo-Coker was injured at Craven Cottage and is out for up to three weeks. So Stephen Ireland or Ciaran Clark should come into midfield, where Barry Bannan, impressive at Fulham, may also continue. Steve Sidwell is out after it was decided to go ahead with an Achilles operation.

Gabriel Agbonlahor will return to the bench after five weeks out following groin surgery, but Emile Heskey and John Carew are all missing, so Nathan Delfouneso should continue in attack.

Villa have now gone five League games without a win and face a Blackpool side that boasts an impressive away record with three wins from six games on their travels.

Blackpool gave a first Premier League start to Keith southern in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Everton and Iain Dowie must decide whether to continue with the midfielder or recall Elliot Grandin. But Craig Cathcart is out with a sore knee.

Last season: N/A.

Stat of the game: This is Blackpool’s first visit to Villa Park since 1974, in the old Division Two, and their first in the top flight for more than 42 years.

Betting tip: Villa on the up. A 3-1 home win is 11-1.

The 119th derby match in all competitions between these clubs and the incentive for Birmingham could hardly be greater. A victory would not only lift them above Aston Villa in the league table but also bring to an end a humiliating run of six straight defeats at the hands of their local rivals. Marc Albrighton is suspended for Villa, meaning that Ashley Young is likely to revert to the flank. Birmingham are boosted by Craig Gardner's return from a three-match ban, the midfielder one of three former Villa players in Alex McLeish's squad.  Stuart James

Venue Villa Park, Sunday midday

Tickets £25-45 (0800 612 0970)

Last season Aston Villa 1 Birmingham 0

Referee H Webb

This season's matches 6 Y23, R0, 3.83 cards per game

Odds Aston Villa 13-15 Birmingham 4-1 Draw 13-5

Probable starters in bold, contenders in light. Photograph: Graphic Aston VillaSubs from Guzan, Delfouneso, Beye, Cuéllar, Bannan, Carew, Clark, Lichaj, Baker, Lowry

Doubtful Beye (ankle), Carew (virus), L Young (match fitness)

Injured Agbonlahor (groin, 21 Nov), Delph (knee, Jan), Petrov (knee, Jan), Weimann (ankle, Jan)

Suspended Albrighton (one match)

Form guide LDLWDL

Disciplinary record Y19 R0

Leading scorer Downing 3

Birmingham  Subs from Taylor, Murphy, Bowyer, Derbyshire, Jiranek, Parnaby, Phillips, Vallès, O'Connor, Míchel, Beausejour, Jerome, Redmond

Doubtful Beausejour (knee), Jerome (ankle)

Injured McFadden (knee, Feb)

Suspended None

Form guide WLLDLD

Disciplinary record Y15 R1

Leading scorer Gardner 3

Match pointers•     Gabriel Agbonlahor has scored in three of the last four derbies with Birmingham and each time in the last 15 minutes of the game

• Birmingham were unbeaten in their first six Premier League fixtures against Villa but have now lost the last six in a row

• No team has scored fewer second-half goals than Villa this season (two)

• Cameron Jerome has been caught offside more times (14) than any other player

• Villa have gone 254 minutes without scoring a goal in the top flight

New Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier will check on the fitness of central defender Richard Dunne before finalising his side for tomorrow's home Carling Cup clash with Blackburn.Dunne had to be substituted at half-time during the weekend draw with visiting Bolton with a knee problem.

If he is ruled out, then Carlos Cuellar is a strong candidate to replace the former Manchester City player.

Winger Stewart Downing suffered a gashed shin against Bolton but is expected to be fit.

Villa reached the final of the competition last season and knocked Blackburn out of the FA Cup and Carling Cup.

Houllier has fond memories of the League Cup as it provided him with his first major trophy with Liverpool in 2001.

He intends to rotate some of the players against Blackburn but insists the competition will be taken seriously.

He said: "We will not be putting out a lesser side. It will be a good side. I will rotate some of the players and I will not be the only manager to have done that.

"The League Cup was the first trophy I won at Liverpool and, if you win five games, you are at Wembley.

"We all know the club is desperate for some silverware. We want that and to reach a high position in the league. That is what we are here for.''

Houllier is delighted to be linking up with McAllister, who played under him at Liverpool, and Cowans, who won the European Cup with Villa in 1982.

He said: "I trust Gary and he knows how I want to play while Gordon is a hero here and I was pleased when he said he would like to work with me.''

Martin Olsson is back in contention for Blackburn.

Olsson, who scored against Villa in the semi-final of the competition last season, has been nursing a shoulder problem but is in line to return to the Rovers team.

Ryan Nelsen played in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Fulham having had a painkilling injection in his foot and will be rested, along with Vince Grella, who picked up a hamstring injury in that game.

David Dunn, Keith Andrews and Jason Roberts are also sidelined.

Sam Allardyce admits that although the Barclays Premier League has to be Blackburn's priority this season, he is more excited by the prospect of a cup final than that of playing in Europe.

A push for European football may not be beyond Rovers this term if they can improve upon their 10th-placed finish in the 2009-10 campaign.

Allardyce's side also reached the Carling Cup semi-finals, where they were beaten over two legs by Aston Villa.

The manager knows that progress in the league must be the club's main objective, but Allardyce would love to go one better in the cup and earn a trip to Wembley he feels would potentially be more special than any journey across the continent.

"My priority every year is about finishing as high as we can - Premier League first, those are my instructions from my bosses,'' Allardyce said.

"Anything else over and above that is a bonus, but I've always said from an ambition point of view and just from a pure football point of view, everybody wants to get to a cup final.

"For me, it's probably more exciting getting to a cup final than it is competing in Europe.

"If you get to a cup final you could be up there on the rostrum picking the trophy up and that stays with you for the rest of your life.''

Aston Villa striker John Carew returns to the squad after shaking off a hamstring injury that sidelined him for Monday’s 2-1 defeat at Stoke.

With the exception of Fabian Delph, who is on the long-term injured list with a knee problem, caretaker-manager Kevin MacDonald has a full squad to choose from for the Barclays Premier League match at home to Bolton.

The game represents MacDonald’s last in charge before handing over the reins to Gerard Houllier following the Frenchman’s appointment a week ago.

Team (from): Friedel, L Young, Dunne, Collins, Warnock, Albrighton, Petrov, Reo-Coker, A Young, Downing, Carew, Heskey, Agbonlahor, Ireland, Guzan, Delfouneso, Cuellar, Lichaj, Bannan.

Bolton could be without captain Kevin Davies for tomorrow’s Barclays Premier League trip to Aston Villa.

Aston Villa v Bolton Saturday, 18 September 2010, 15:00

The striker has not trained all week after clashing heads with Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny in last weekend’s 4-1 defeat at the Emirates and could join Gary Cahill and Jussi Jaaskelainen on the sidelines.

Bolton failed in their appeal to have Cahill’s red card against Arsenal overturned so he begins a three-match ban while goalkeeper Jaaskelainen serves the second of a similar suspension for his sending-off against Birmingham.

Andy O’Brien and Adam Bogdan will fill those gaps but Sean Davis, Joey O’Brien, Jlloyd Samuel and Ricardo Gardner are all set to miss out through injury while Tamir Cohen is unavailable because of the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.

Im sure we will win 3-0 tomorrow night !!

Gabby Agbonlahor, Carlos Cuellar and James Collins are all out of Sunday's top-flight clash with Newcastle United.

But manager Kevin MacDonald hopes to have the trio available for the Europa League play-off decider against Rapid Vienna next Thursday.

Agbonlahor [back, hamstring], Cuellar [hamstring] and Collins [calf] all missed the opening Barclays Premier League clash with West Ham.

And none of the three have recovered in time for the St James's Park match this weekend.

Steve Sidwell [achilles] misses out too while Andreas Weimann was stretchered off in the Europa League first leg clash at the Gerhard Hanappi Stadium with an ankle injury.

MacDonald is waiting for the results of a scan before assessing the severity of the problem.

But in better news, the manager expects new signing Stephen Ireland to play a part this weekend.

He said: "Stephen is obviously going to be involved - whether he starts I can't tell you that.

"Regarding the others, Andy will not be available for a while now and the scan will tell us more.

"James , Carlos and Gabby are hoping to play in some kind of game early next week to hopefully be available for next Thursday but they won't be available for this week.

"The only other one is Steve, with an achilles tendon injury. Apart from that, it is just everybody back."

Newcastle v Aston Villa, Sunday, 22 August 2010, 13:30

Aston Villa are set to hand a debut to midfielder Stephen Ireland in Sunday’s Barclays Premier League clash with Newcastle at St James’ Park.

Ireland is in line to make his bow after his arrival in midweek from Manchester City as part of the deal which took James Milner in the opposite direction.

Villa caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald is set to make sweeping changes to the side that started last night’s 1-1 Europa League draw against Rapid Vienna with central defender Richard Dunne returning after being suspended for the clash in Austria.

Goalkeeper Brad Friedel, midfielder Stiliyan Petrov, full-back Luke Young and winger Ashley Young are also set to return.

Striker John Carew should be fit after a knee injury but fellow forward Gabriel Agbonlahor (hamstring), midfielder Steve Sidwell (Achilles) and central defenders James Collins (calf) and Carlos Cuellar (hamstring) are under treatment.

Rookie Austrian striker Andreas Weimann is out after suffering an ankle injury against Rapid - his former club.

Team (from): Friedel, Guzan, Warnock, Dunne, Davies, Beye, L Young, Albrighton, Reo-Coker, Petrov, Ireland, Downing, A Young, Carew, Bannan, Delfouneso, Hogg, Heskey, Osbourne, Clark, Lowry, Baker.

Hogg gets a start, that will be interesting and come on bannan and big heskey 

For the second year running Villa are heading to Austria to take on Rapid Wien in the Europa League Qualifier but this time surely the boys will want to get one over our Austrian counterparts.

The transfer deal of the summer is over, and although we don’t seem to be any closer to finding out who exactly will be our manager, business must go on.

The squad Kevin McDonald has taken suggests that Villa won’t be taking this competition serious once again, or does it? McDonald knows a lot of the younger boys inside out so is this his chance to give them the platform to shine and a real stake to the first team?

Players that have been rumoured to go this summer like Nigel Reo-Coker, Curtis Davies and Steve Sidwell will most likely all feature.

Richard Dunne is suspended so of course he’s been left back home – to help Stephen Ireland settle in I can only presume. While Ashley Young, Stiliyan Petrov, Luke Young and John Carew have all been rested.

What do we know about our opponents for tonight’s fixture? Well we know they won’t be no push over after last season’s defeat.

They were founded in 1899 and play there home games at Gerhard Hanappi Stadium which has a capacity of around 18,000. They finished 3rd in the Austrian league last season and there managers name is Peter Pacult and the 32 time Austrian champions will be captained by Steffen Hoffman.

The game will be live on ITV4 with a 5.45pm kick off so make sure your home in time for work

MacDonald has opted to leave behind Stiliyan Petrov, Luke Young and Ashley Young

Aston Villa caretaker-manager Kevin MacDonald has been forced into a number of changes for Thursday's Europa League play-off first leg with Rapid Vienna at the Gerhard Hanappi Stadium.

Centre-back Richard Dunne serves a one-game ban, whilst striker John Carew has a knee injury and joins Gabriel Agbonlahor and Carlos Cuellar (both hamstring) and James Collins (calf) on the sidelines.

However, MacDonald has opted to leave behind Stiliyan Petrov, Luke Young and Ashley Young, whilst there is no James Milner after he completed his move to Manchester City.

It means a number of youngsters have been drafted in, including defenders James Collins Jnr and Eric Lichaj, midfielders Shane Lowry and Barry Bannan and Austrian striker Andreas Weimann.

 Team (from): Friedel, Guzan, Parish, Lichaj, Warnock, Clark, Davies, Baker, Osbourne, Beye, Reo-Coker, Bannan, Downing, Albrighton, Collins Jnr, Delfouneso, Lowry, Heskey, Hogg, Weimann.

great to see albrighton, im surprised with milner

looks like milner is starting too, i have just heard.

we will beat west ham  2-0  no doubt

Aston Villa have kept only one clean sheet in their last eight opening day fixtures, conceding exactly two goals in each of the last three seasons.

The Hammers have taken all three points on the opening day in four of the last five seasons.

Villa have won only five of their last 20 Premier League games against West Ham.

Aston Villa have scored exactly one goal in seven of the last nine Premier League meetings with West Ham.

West Ham had eight opposition players sent off against them last season, a divisional high.

12 of the last 20 Premier League games between Villa and West Ham have ended as draws.

HE DESERVES IT,  MILNER WOULD JUST BE LIKE YORKE JUST BEFORE HE LEFT FOR UNITED

INTERESTING        WILL HE PLAY A PART ?

The triangular tournament began on Friday evening with Feyenoord taking on Benfica at the Vila Real de Santo Antonio Stadium.

And it was the reigning Portuguese champions who ran out 4-1 winners - much to the joy of the local fans.

A brace from Cardoso and strikes from Felipe Menezes and Ruben Amorin sealed a comprehensive victory for Benfica.

It was not all plain sailing for the Portuguese Liga outfit. With three minutes on the clock they found themselves a goal down after Smolov sprung their offside trap and slotted the ball home.

On the half hour mark, Benfica established a foothold on the game and seemingly never looked back. It was only the woodwork that prevented parity being restored before half-time.

The breakthrough came on 50 minutes through Cardoso's close range strike and then the floodgates opened with Cardoso netting his second of the evening, before Menezes and Amorin put the match beyond any doubt.

 Villa begin their Guadiana Cup campaign on Saturday against Feyenoord (ko 9.15pm). As always, avfc.co.uk and AVTV will be covering the action so you don't miss a kick.

IM NOT SURE YET WHETHER ITS ONLINE BUT YOU CAN LISTEN TO IT ON AVTV IF YOU SUBSCRIBE, IM GONNA HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE AGAIN LOL !!

COME ON GABBY

COME ON VILLA !!

The claret and blues left for Dublin today to get ready to face Bohemians on Saturday and front-line striker Agbonlahor, having missed the Peterborough friendly on Monday night because of a hamstring strain, is expected to figure.

But Villa, who expect to sell midfielder Steve Sidwell to Fulham this week, are keeping quiet about their plans for other players thought to be on their way out of the club, including Luke Young, Nicky Shorey and Curtis Davies.

That trio were sent off to play in a junior fixture at Basingstoke on Sunday, leaving O’Neill to run the rule over the club’s youngsters who could possibly fill the breach for the coming season.

Young American Eric Lichaj is at the top of the queue as a full-back, who can play either left or right and who marked his appearance in the friendly at Peterborough with his first senior goal in the 3-2 victory.

And the 21-year-old, who played on loan at Lincoln and Leyton Orient last season,  accepts this is a summer of opportunity,

He said: “It was nice to be involved with the first-team and I’ve been getting a chance to play with the guys.

“I am happy. I’m progressing, maybe a little slowly, but I’m still progressing. Hopefully, maybe after pre-season, I’ll be involved in the first-team training week in, week out.

“I would like to do that initially, but right now at right-back there is Carlos Cuellar, Luke Young and Habib Beye, so it will be difficult getting into the team. But I will still be working hard with everything, so hopefully things work out.

“If not I’ll probably be looking to go out on loan after pre-season.”

Money is tight at Villa and Lichaj could be a key figure if he can make a convincing case for inclusion in the Premier League squad, as Luke Young and Shorey seek fresh starts elsewhere.

New season, new kit, new hopes.

While Villa's stars will no doubt look the part when they pull on the brand-new FxPro kit against Basingstoke and Peterborough, the early pre-season assignments are all about making sure they are well fashioned for the serious business of the Barclays Premier League.

The hard work has begun on the training pitch but the trips to The Camrose and London Road, on Sunday and Monday, provide early opportunities to see how Martin O'Neill's men are shaping up, as they embark on a varied pre-season programme.

Villa face a diverse mix of opponents over the next month, beginning with the Blue Square South outfit on Sunday [ko 2pm] and League One Posh the following evening [ko 7.45pm].

The gulf in leagues does not matter at this stage. As goalkeeper Brad Friedel explains, it is all about getting mind and body prepared ahead of the big kick off on August 14.

 "As you are going through pre-season you are obviously going to have varying degrees of opponents in front of you," he said.

"That doesn't matter where you are - whether you play your games here or whether you go abroad.

"The most important thing is that you get your fitness right, you get your timing right and that you start playing with each other again.

"After you get the first couple of weeks under your belt and your legs start coming back, then you can start progressing your fitness on to the next level and get ready for August 14."

The Basingstoke clash brings Villa up against O'Neill's former Nottingham Forest team-mate Frank Gray - whom he lined up alongside in the 1980 European Cup final.

Peterborough, under new boss Gary Johnson, have already produced one admirable pre-season performance against Premier League opposition, when they were edged out 2-1 by West Ham last week.

Both games form an important part of Villa's plans, as they look to hit the ground running when the top-flight season begins.

"First of all, I think the most important thing is the kick-off itself," O'Neill said.

"It is how you are prepared. Last year, for instance, we thought we had prepared very well indeed.

"We won the Peace Cup, albeit with a group of young players in the side. Some players like Gabby Agbonlahor and James Milner hadn't participated in the pre-season, simply because of they had played in the England under-21 competition so they had time off.

"The long and the short of it - we lost 2-0 against Wigan. So you are never sure about whether you preparation is right.

"Here not only do we have the start of the season, we have these important qualification games in the Europa League and we want to try and be as fit as possible."

Around 12 months ago, Villa kicked off an exciting pre-season campaign with a 3-0 victory at Peterborough.

Andreas Weimann, the man who opened the scoring that day, will be unavailable to take on Posh this time around.

The Austrian and fellow youngsters Nathan Delfouneso and Nathan Baker miss out on the trips to Hampshire and Cambridgeshire because of international commitments.

The trio are set to kick off their Euro U19 Championship campaigns in France on Sunday, with Delfouneso and Baker named in the England squad to face Weimann's Austria.

The early pre-season fixtures also come too soon for World Cup stars James Milner, Emile Heskey, Stephen Warnock and Brad Guzan, who were given extra time to recover after their involvement in the summer showpiece.

Pre-Season Matches Confirmed

July 18: Basingstoke v Villa XI - The Camrose - 2pm

July 19: Peterborough v Villa - London Road - 7.45pm

July 24: Bohemians v Villa - Dalymount Park - 3pm

July 27: Walsall v Villa - Banks's Stadium - 7.45pm

July 31: Villa v Feyenoord ­- San Antonio Stadium - 9.15pm

August 1: Villa v Benfica - San Antonio Stadium - 9.15pm

August 6: Villa v Valencia - Villa Park - 7.45pm