Villa manager Martin O’Neill has put his players on alert to stop Sunderland’s in-form striker Darren Bent in the Premier League encounter at Villa Park.

Following their 2-2 draw against Wolves at the weekend, the claret and blues badly need a win tonight to boost their hopes of finishing fourth and qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

But O’Neill knows that Villa’s hopes of beating Sunderland could depend on them keeping Bent and strike partner Kenwyne Jones in check.

Bent took his goal tally for the season to 21 with a double against Birmingham on Saturday and O’Neill has been impressed by the form that the England international has shown at the Stadium of Light following his £10million move from Tottenham.

He said: “I do agree that Bent has had a really terrific season and he has the goals to prove his point.

“It was a chance he was looking for at Tottenham to be playing pretty regularly, but with their strike force it didn’t appear as if that was going to be at all possible.

“He has gone to Sunderland and proved himself, while Jones, on his day, is a real handful.”

A Villa win would turn up the heat on Tottenham in fourth and O’Neill added: “We would be only two points behind Tottenham if we beat Sunderland and we are desperate to try and win the game against a rejuvenated Sunderland.

“The consequences are that we could close the gap again.”

But O’Neill knows a win against Sunderland will be hard-earned as Steve Bruce’s side have taken eight points from their last four games to ease their relegation fears.

“It is interesting that when a team begin lifting themselves out of a difficult situation it is amazing how quickly the confidence comes back,” O’Neill added.

“For instance, if we had been playing this game three weeks ago they may have been looking over their shoulder to see where the next point is coming from.

“But they have stuck to their task, won a couple of games and in actual fact they are coming to Villa Park probably clear of relegation.

“They have to get one or two more points along the way but now have more confidence than they have had for the last two or three months.”

Tonight’s contest will bring together the fascinating collision of one of the Premier League’s hottest strikers and in-form goalkeepers.

For John Carew to continue his rich vein of form, he will have to find a way past Sunderland’s Craig Gordon who has been a key figure in the Black Cats recent revival.

If Gordon does go on to produce another heroic performance to deny Villa it will be much to the home club’s irritation as one of their own old favourites has been behind Gordon’s form in goalkeeping coach Nigel Spink, hero of the 1982 European Cup triumph.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce said: “Nigel Spink has done very, very well with him. He has tried to breathe a bit of confidence into him.

“He was playing very well before he broke his arm at Tottenham and then he showed a bit of strength of character because to get over a broken arm when you are a goalkeeper is a big, big thing.

“Now he is realising he is enjoying his football. The last two games in particular he has played wonderfully well.”

Fo the Black Cats, skipper Lorik Cana is available after completing a two-match-ban, while Bruce hopes to be able to call upon Kenwyne Jones after injury.