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Villa hope strikers return Aston Villa hope to have strikers Gabriel Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey available for Sunday's clash with Burnley at Villa Park.

Agbonlahor missed last weekend's FA Cup tie at Crystal Palace with the leg injury he picked up in the Premier League game against Manchester United.

Heskey was forced off against Palace with a groin problem but both he and Agbonlahor have been able to train this week.

Captain Stiliyan Petrov will retain his starting role as he continues to battle against nagging ankle and Achilles problems.

Full-back Stephen Warnock should also continue after making his comeback from a shin injury against Palace.

Having Heskey available against Burnley, for the FA Cup replay against Palace on Wednesday and the Carling Cup Final would be a massive boost for boss Martin O'Neill who hopes the next week will not end in a massive let down.

The former Celtic boss added: "By Sunday week it will be one competition gone whether we win or lose.

"I am hoping that by the end of next week we have had some reward for the effort the team has put in.

"Obviously, I remember last season when we had a fortnight of big games.

"I remember it very clearly. We lost against Chelsea, played the return game in the UEFA Cup in Moscow and lost and then returned and conceded a two-goal lead against Stoke.

"I think, although I didn't know it at the time, that was a serious blow.

"As I look back and review what happened we took that game into the match against Manchester City and lost. So suddenly the lead we had hoped to maintain had evaporated in the space of a week. But that is the thing that can happen.

"Whether we are now better equipped to deal with the current situation I am not sure as we have gone with the same group of players to a large extent.

"What I do think is that we have been able to cope better defensively." Burnley defender Leon Cort is expected to be fit.

Cort, signed from Stoke last month, was forced off with a groin injury in the Clarets' 3-0 defeat at Fulham 10 days ago.

Veteran Graham Alexander, missing for the last three weeks with a calf problem, is rated 50-50 to return.

Stephen Jordan (hamstring) and Chris McCann (knee) could come back into contention but Steven Caldwell (groin) is still sidelined.

Burnley have slipped into the bottom after losing five of their last six games but Villa's recent form is not brilliant either.

Martin O'Neill's men, who play in the Carling Cup final next weekend, have won just one in seven and scored three goals along the way.

Boss Brian Laws believes that his side can break their away duck at Villa Park.

He said: "There is no point getting on the bus if you don't believe you can get a win.

"You might as well go and hand the points to Aston Villa. Do I want to do that? No. I want to have a go at them.

"Nobody is expecting us to get a result other than ourselves.

Aston Villa 5-2 Burnley

Last modified 10:32 22/02/10

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Villa found Burnley perfect cannon fodder yesterday ahead of the Carling Cup final as the visitors were ruthlessly dispatched.

With Villa facing Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday, Burnley were ideal opponents as Martin O’Neill’s side enjoyed a morale-boosting win.

The Clarets have the worst away record in English football after failing to win on their travels this season in the top-flight.

They took a shock lead at Villa Park through Steven Fletcher’s early opener before Ashley Young levelled in the 32nd minute.

But Brian Laws’ relegation-haunted team folded dramatically as Villa blitzed them with four goals in 12 minutes after the break once Stewart Downing made it 2-1 in the 56th minute.

It was the 13th League defeat away from Turf Moor for Burnley this season after they won the play-offs last term.

And Championship Crystal Palace, who are in administration, are next up at Villa Park in the FA Cup on Wednesday, so O’Neill’s men are likely to remain unbeaten in 2010 ahead of meeting United.

Boss O’Neill believes his side should be refreshed and in-form when they visit Wembley after this big victory.

He said: “I gave them a few days off and sometimes coming back you can be a bit sluggish.

“We didn’t get into gear first half but it wasn’t meant to be like that.

“In a game where expectations were high to try and win though, to come from behind was very pleasing.

“We got the equalising goal and there was relief all round the ground. Then we got that Downing excellent second goal.

“It was a great 12-minute spell and it was very pleasing indeed.

“It was a bit of relief for myself as this keeps us hanging in in the Premier League too.

“And it was great to see some of the play.

“If you watch some of these boys in training sessions, they can play.

“And when you’ve got these players whose confidence is high they are a treat to watch.”

Villa started brightly but it was the visitors who took a shock lead in the 10th minute.

David Nugent delivered a dangerous low cross from the right and team-mate Fletcher had a simple tap-in at the far post for his 11th of the season.

But the hosts eventually found their stride as Emile Heskey headed just wide from Downing’s cross from the right.

And O’Neill’s men were eventually level in the 32nd minute after Young scored following a short-corner routine.

The England hopeful cut inside and curled a right-foot cross-shot which was deflected in off hapless Clarets defender Daniel Fox.

The contest was delicately poised at half-time but Villa ended up romping away to victory after the break.

Downing put the hosts ahead in the 56th minute with a superb right-foot finish after good work down the left by Young.

And Downing quickly got his second of the match and his third goal for Villa just two minutes later with another shot which deflected in off the unfortunate Fox.

With the visitors crumbling even the much-maligned Heskey got on the score-sheet with his fourth goal of the campaign as he side-footed in from Gabriel Agbonlahor’s cross in the 61st minute.

And seven minutes later it was 5-1 when Agbonlahor bundled in his 13th this term from close-range after James Milner’s low cross.

Clarets sub Martin Patterson pulled a goal back in injury-time but his tap-in did not take the shine off a fine second half display by the home side.

Laws said: “All people will talk about is that 12 minute period.

“The lads are more than capable of getting through sticky periods and you should not switch off or good sides will get you. 

“They lost the fight to continue. Nothing new but we need to change that mindset.

“You see them at home and they don’t have that switch-off moment.

“But away they do - give a side like Villa time and space and they will score goals.

“Just looking at another defeat again and goal tally could count as big as one point. We have to make sure we don’t concede too many goals. We know what’s at stake.”