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Disappointed with the West Ham result, time to put that behind us and look, er, forward to the Villa game. The first point of order is the injury list ; Robinho looks very doubtful to play on Wednesday, Bellamy is unlikely and Richards 50-50 at the time of writing. I'm not certain on the status of Danny Sturridge (groin strain since the start of February) but it looks like we will enter this game with a seriously depleted front line.

This setback aside, how does Hughes go about preparing to lock horns with Martin O'Neill and Co? The good news is that we are at home, SWP is back (unless injured) and we've looked pretty good at Eastlands in general. Also, it's evident that Aston Villa are wobbling a bit recently, giving up a 2 goal lead against Stoke, indicating that the pressure of chasing a Champions League spot may be getting to them. The bad news, however, is more substantial; City have played a lot of games recently, and it was notable during the Hammers tie that perhaps the pace of the Prem is taking it's toll on some. In addition Hughes does not appear to have an effective "Plan B" if "Plan A" (Score first and hoping that the opposition folds) doesn't work.

With these issues in mind, it's a tricky task to pick a side or plan tactics for Wednesday. Do we go back to basics, play more cautiously and try to hit Villa on the break? Or do we play more offensively knowing that a win is vital and that the pressure is on Villa to secure a victory? I'd pick the following side, but note that I'm assuming Rob, Bellamy and Micah are all out -

Given

Logan Dunne Nedum Bridge

Zabaleta De Jong

Kompany

Wright-Phillips Elano/Ireland

Caicedo

Logan vs Ashley Young may be a mismatch, but the City youngster does have pace, whereas the obvious alternative Zabaleta certainly does not. Also, I prefer Zabs in midfield - we really missed his energy and ankle-biting in midfield against W Ham, and that cost us the game in large part. Nedum vs Agbonlahor should be a good contest (who's the fastest ?) as will the battle of the heavyweights that is Dunne vs Heskey. We will need to rely on SWP to get through the Villa defense and provide chances for Caciedo, who will presumably get his chance again - Bojinov needs to be brought on carefully. I'm not sure how much the toe injury is affecting Kompany, but I'd like to see him join Big Phil up front when possible to provide the aerial and physical presence we've been missing - without Robbie, we may be able to go 4-4-2ish for spells. On the left, I went with either Elano or Ireland - perhaps the Brazilian is worth another shot based on his brief spell against W Ham. I did consider Garrido in this position, but it's already a pretty defensive line-up. Sturridge is probably unfit.

What betting on The Vass coming on to score the last minute winner?

'Letter from America' by Bloovic