Manchester United chief Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Villa’s Champions League chances by claiming it is “easy to see them getting fourth”.

United head to Villa tonight looking to avenge their first home defeat to the Midlands outfit for 26 years after Gabby Agbonlahor’s side separated the sides in December.

Martin O’Neill’s seventh-placed side are battling it out with Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City for fourth and Ferguson believes they have just as good a chance as their rivals.

“There is a consistent vein about Villa,” said the United boss. “There are no dramatic changes with them.

“You get the odd bad result but we are all getting them this season, and they had that great performance against us. They were very determined that day.

“It is easy to see them getting to fourth place but you could say the same thing about a few others as well.

“It is very interesting, possibly the most competitive part of the league because it is so important to get that fourth position and to be in the Champions League.”

Second-placed United need three points to keep pace with, or even overtake, Chelsea, depending on how the Premier League leaders fare at the same time against Everton at Goodison Park.

Sir Alex Ferguson once famously described this period as “squeaky bum time” and defender Wes Brown says they have reached the stage of the campaign where victory is now a must.

“Once we get to this stage of the season it is no longer about wanting to win,” said the England star. “We have to win. We have to play well and we have to score goals.

“Recent results mean we have a lot of confidence at the moment. Hopefully we can keep it that way.

“When you look at the table now, anyone could take it, but knowing other teams have dropped points only matters if we keep winning.”