A potentially bruising battle with Crystal Palace would hardly have topped Villa’s ways to prepare for Sunday’s Carling Cup final.

But boss Martin O’Neill is confident tonight’s FA Cup fifth-round replay won’t be a distraction ahead of their crunch Wembley showdown.

And he has also strongly hinted he will not jeopardise the claret and blues’ chances of a possible quarter-final with derby rivals Albion by resting his stars to keep them fresh for Sunday.

O’Neill’s apparent reluctance to rotate his squad is understandable given they only just scraped a replay against the administration-saddled Eagles at Selhurst Park 10 days ago after Stiliyan Petrov’s 87th-minute diving header rescued a replay.

Villa are red-hot favourites to see off the Championship club and O’Neill insists his team must cope with the pressure of being favourites against Neil Warnock’s side, whom he insists will again represent a serious threat after pushing them so close last time.

He said: “I think personnel-wise there might not be that many changes for them. They could easily have gone through 10 days ago but we saw it through at the end, getting the equalising goal from Stiliyan, and we were as delighted as anyone to still be playing even though it meant another fixture in the week of the League Cup final.

“It means a lot to us and it means plenty to Crystal Palace as well. For us, what we want to try to do is get in front, which we haven’t been in the tie, and try to see it through. But it won’t be easy.”

“The game that I had seen them before they played us was against Wolves where they played exceptionally well in the match and deserved to win the game.

Stiliyan Petrov is doubtful for the clash after being laid low with a virus this week, however Gabby Agbonlahor is expected to be fit to take his place up front after making encouraging progress with his calf problem.

The previous clash proved a highly physical encounter with both teams going at it hammer and tongs but, while O’Neill would ideally love to keep his stars fresh for Sunday, he insists he is not in a position to do so.

“I will have a look at the side and see how we feel,” he added. “I’m not so sure from my viewpoint that it’s keeping an eye on Sunday.

“Obviously you want to be as fresh as possible for the game but things don’t happen like that. We don’t have the free midweek but we have a very important game.

“The most important issue is that we want to try to get through, either playing West Bromwich Albion or Reading in the quarter-final.

“Crystal Palace will be sitting listening to this and licking their lips at the thought of playing us again.  They played exceptionally well in the match and they are capable of doing it again.”

O’Neill was once again delighted by the spirit shown by his team in coming from behind to win 5-2 against Burnley on Sunday – just as they did against Palace and Blackburn recently.

He added: “Where I have been really pleased with the team is that we have come from behind in matches, I particularly think of the League Cup semi and at Palace where we came back.

“We have shown character in the way we have fought back in games. The game we did lose against Liverpool we had no time to fight back because the goal was in the 94th minute.

“The players are getting a bit of confidence about themselves and why shouldn’t they after that devastating spell in the second half on Sunday. That will stand them in great stead.

“I think it was very important for us that a few players scored goals. I don’t care whether they’re wide men or centre forwards.

“Everybody likes to get a goal now and then just to show people they’ve made a major contribution to the game and I think all those players who scored will take great confidence from not only the goals that they scored but the ensuing performance in the second half.”

The FA Cup remains the one competition to have eluded O’Neill, who has never made it beyond the last eight.

“I’ve won League Cups, European Cups, League championships and all those type of things and even got to the final of the UEFA Cup, but the quarter-final of the FA Cup is it.

“I’ve done it three times, as a player at Forest, a player at Norwich – although I missed the quarter final because I’d broken my elbow – and ironically at Notts County.

“We got beaten by Everton when Andy Gray stooped down to head a low ball into the net in 1984 and they went on to win the cup and beat Watford in the final. We were in the quarters at home.

“The FA Cup would be great, but it would be great to be in the quarter-final, which we are not yet.”

Neil Danns (back) faces a late fitness check for Palace, while winger Sean Scannell is also set to miss out with a groin problem.

Striker Stern John, winger Kieron Cadogan and full-back Lee Hills are cup-tied. Defender Paddy McCarthy is a long-term absentee.

It means Warnock, who was denied permission to bring in a loan player by the Football League, may be unable to name seven substitutes.