Villa kick-off the biggest week of their season with boss Martin O’Neill admitting only time will tell whether they are better equipped to last the distance this time around.

O’Neill’s Champions League-chasers host Burnley in the Premier League tomorrow then entertain Crystal Palace in an FA Cup fifth-round replay on Wednesday.

Last but not least, comes next Sunday’s eagerly-anticipated Carling Cup final showdown against Manchester United.

It looks every inch a season-defining week for the claret and blues and is not at all dissimilar to the crunch period of games they found themselves facing at exactly the same time last year.

To say it did not go to plan then would be an understatement.

First, an FA Cup exit at the hands of Everton.

Then, who can forget, a controversial UEFA Cup exit to CSKA Moscow after O’Neill left eight first-team stars at home to rest up for their top-four challenge.

That too fell by the wayside, however, as the defeat to Chelsea of a year ago today which ended a 13-game league unbeaten run was followed up by ‘that game’ against Stoke – Villa blowing a 2-0 lead with three minutes remaining to draw 2-2.

The rest is history, of course, as Villa’s Champions League dreams went up in smoke – O’Neill’s men sliding from third to sixth after winning just two of their remaining games that season.

O’Neill is hopeful that this time his team – buoyed by the summer arrival of key defensive trio Stephen Warnock, Richard Dunne and James Collins and England winger Stewart Downing – can craft a happier ending.

But he admits he can offer no guarantees.

“It’s a very big week for us, commencing tomorrow and going right through,” said O’Neill. “By the end of the week we will see where we stand.

“I will treat each game on its merits. Of course, it will be very difficult for the vast majority of the players to play all three games. But it might be something we have to do. Each game is so important.

“I know that by Sunday week that will be one competition gone whether we’ve won it or not.

“We could so easily be out of the FA Cup by that time so that the only thing you concentrate on is league games – but I’m hoping not.

“I hope by the end of next week that we have had some sort of reward for the effort the team has put in.

“I don’t know whether we are better equipped. Those things happen. Obviously I remember it very clearly.

“We played against Chelsea and lost, we played the return leg against CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Cup and we conceded a two-goal lead against Stoke.

“Thinking back, although I didn’t know it at the time, I think that was a really serious blow because we still definitely carried it on into the game against Manchester City and lost that.

“Suddenly then, the lead you are trying to maintain had evaporated over the space of the week. That’s what can happen in the game.

“Whether we’re better equipped I’m not sure because we’ve gone with the same group of players but what I do think is that we’ve been able to cope with things defensively.

“I think we had 51 points from 25 games last season before we played Chelsea, that was the loss.”

While Villa were in third last year, this time they find themselves at the rear of the top-four chasing pack with Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham just ahead of them.

City are the side currently occupying the golden fourth spot but Villa are just three points adrift and nine of their remaining 13 games come against sides in the bottom half.

But O’Neill rejects the theory that the pressure is on them less this year because they’re not the ones setting the pace – insisting the spotlight is in fact on them more because of their success in the Cups.

“In many aspects the spotlight is possibly on us more this season because of our exploits in the Carling Cup,” he added.

“Because we are still involved in the cup competitions maybe people give our league position less attention than perhaps before.”

The Clarets are yet to win away in the Premier League, having picked up just one point from their 13 trips this term – but O’Neill has warned against complacency.

The Villa manager continued: “I don’t think we would be good enough to treat anyone lightly.

“There will be heavy expectation on us and we have to try to get over the line. It won’t be easy.”

Villa should have strikers Gabby Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey both available for the Villa Park clash.

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 Warnock should also continue after making his comeback from a shin injury against Palace.

Burnley defender Leon Cort is expected to be fit for tomorrow’s clash.

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.