Team news

Aston Villa preview
Aston Villa will be without skipper Stiliyan Petrov and defender Habib Beye through suspension for the Barclays Premier League match with Bolton.

Petrov collected his fifth booking of the campaign during the midweek defeat at West Ham - a game in which Beye was also sent off.

Nigel Reo-Coker will be a strong candidate to replace Petrov after impressing as a substitute against his former club while right-back Carlos Cuellar will return after a one-game ban and is likely to take over from Beye.

Striker Emile Heskey (back), wide player James Milner (calf) and midfielder Craig Gardner (groin) are major doubts.

Bolton captain Kevin Davies believes Heskey will be a part of England's World Cup squad regardless of whether he stays with Villa or not.

"I think Fabio is a big fan of his," Davies said.

"He's been in there ahead of strikers who are playing better and scoring more goals but I think as a target man, Fabio fancies him and likes the way he plays.

"I think he will be on the plane regardless, but like any player, you have to fight for your spot in your side and I'm sure he is trying to do that."

Bolton preview
Paul Robinson is set to deputise for the suspended Jlloyd Samuel in the Bolton defence.

Samuel was sent off in last week's 4-0 defeat against Chelsea after bringing down Didier Drogba.

Danny Shittu and Mustapha Riga are both doubts with hamstring problems, while Sean Davis and Joey O'Brien are long-term absentees with knee injuries.

Ex-Villa players Zat Knight and Gary Cahill will make up the centre-half pairing at Villa Park.

Both players were recruited by Gary Megson, who hopes they will feel they have a point to prove.

"I'm sure they will feel like that - being ex-Villa players they will want to go and put a show on," Megson said.

"In the past we've had ex-Villa players like Gavin McCann, Jlloyd Samuel and Gary Cahill who to be perfectly honest, have never done themselves justice when they have gone back to Villa Park.

Aston Villa 5-1 Bolton

Last modified 10:10 09/11/09

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Giant Villa striker John Carew turned in a towering performance for Villa - then backed James Milner to be a big part of England's World Cup campaign.

Villa's potent front four of Milner, Carew, Gabby Agbonlahor and Ashley Young was far too much for leaky Bolton, who have now conceded 15 goals in four games.

That is hardly the kind of statistic which will do any good for Gary Cahill's Three Lions hopes, and the Wanderers centre-half left Villa Park hoping nobody from the England set-up had been there to witness his nightmare afternoon - not that it would look any prettier on DVD.

But if Milner needed to present a dossier on why he should be part of the England set-up then this game could form part of the evidence, full of pin-point passing and creativity.

And team mate Carew would certainly be happy to provide a reference.

Carew said: "Absolutely he should be on the plane for the World Cup.

"He's been our most consistent player at Villa for a while now. He almost never has a bad game.

"He can play anywhere on the field. He can play with his left foot and right foot so he is absolutely an important player for England.

"Even if he is not first choice, he is a player that you can put on in any position on the field without lowering the level of the team."

And with only a handful of England friendlies before Fabio Capello names his World Cup squad, Milner is determined to make every appearance count, both for club and country.

He said: "The World Cup is a nice thing to have at the end of the season, something to aim for.

"It's not just for England that every minute counts, it's week in, week out in the Premier League.

"We're playing against top class players every week and if you're lucky enough to get called up to the England squad and get that chance you've got to prove that you should be there again.

"All us players just want to keep improving and keep staking a claim to be in that squad."

Milner certainly looked the part for a role in any England World Cup squad when he stepped up to the penalty spot - and missed.

But it was a rare blemish on an impressive afternoon on the right wing.

It was his flighted left foot cross which set up Villa's fifth minute opener, finding the head of Carew as he outjumped Cahill and Sam Ricketts. Keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen beat away Carew's effort only for Young to snaffle the rebound.

The Norwegianís power told again for the second as he outmuscled Cahill on the byline to tee up Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Bolton pulled one back a minute later, Cahill's shot deflected onto the post by the impressive Richard Dunne and Johan Elmander tapping-in.

But Cahill and defensive partner Zat Knight were quickly exposed again after the break.

Fed by Milner, Carew used his strength to turn Knight before nutmegging Cahill and finishing through Jaaskelainen's legs.

And Kevin Davies showed he was equally unable to contain the 6ft 4in striker when his push at a corner handed Villa a penalty. Milner's effort straight down the middle was saved, Steve Sidwell could only fire the rebound onto the post before Milner gratefully turned it in at the second attempt.

Wanderers' miserable afternoon was finally complete when Carlos Cuellar scored his first Villa goal with a flicked header from Young's set piece.

Aston Villa: Friedel 6, L Young 7, Cuellar 8, Dunne 8, Warnock 7, Milner 8, Sidwell 7 (Gardner 86mins), Reo-Coker 7 (Delph 86mins), A Young 8, Agbonlahor 8, Carew 8

Bolton: Jaaskelainen 7, Ricketts 4 (Steinsson 69mins), Cahill 4 [yellow card], Knight 4, Robinson 4 [yellow card], Lee 6, Muamba 5, Cohen 5 [yellow card] (Elmander 5 29mins), Taylor 5, Gardner 5, Davies 5