Friendship on hold at Villa Park

Friendship will be cast aside for 90 minutes at Villa Park when a trio of familiar faces return with a point to prove.

It is not so long ago that Gavin McCann, Jlloyd Samuel and Gary Cahill were wearing the claret and blue of Villa, but they will represent the enemy when Bolton are the visitors.

All three found themselves surplus to requirements under the Martin O'Neill regime but have rebuilt their careers at Wanderers, with Cahill the most recent to depart in a £5million move to the Reebok Stadium in January.

The faces in the Villa dressing room may have changed dramatically even in these last 12 months but former team-mates including Gareth Barry, Gabby Agbonlahor and Martin Laursen remain.

Despite saying he holds McCann, Samuel and Cahill in fond regard, O'Neill says there will be no room for sentiment when it comes down to business at 3pm.

O'Neill added: "Obviously I know all three of them. They're playing regularly now for Bolton and that's great.

"A lot of our players will know them pretty well. Gareth Barry will know them very well, having spent a number of years with Jlloyd and less so with Gary and Gavin.

"I hope that sort of friendship doesn't end, but they might have to call a halt to it during the course of the game."

With goals recently at a premium at home, Villa would no doubt settle for a repeat of the 4-0 win achieved in last season's corresponding fixture.

Agbonlahor reveals that even now his goal in that April clash remains a source of banter between him and defender Cahill – and he doesn't want it to end there.

The striker said: "I got on well with Gary. He's a really nice lad and it would be great to get past him and score. I scored the last time we played them.

"I still speak to him. I gave him stick about that goal and I still try and give him stick whenever I see him!"

Bolton chief Gary Megson has reminded the trio, who are all likely to start, that they are there to get a result – not settle any personal score.

The former Albion boss said: "Sometimes you can be that intent on putting in a good personal performance that you take away what you need to be doing for the team.

"The players have to focus on what they're there for, which is trying to get a result on Bolton's behalf and not just going back to their old team.

"You want to go back and prove a point but that's not the be all and end all."

Megson adds his name to the growing list of Premier League managers tipping Villa as the most likely to break into the Champions League.

He said: "I really do think that if anybody is going to ruffle a few feathers in the top four, then Aston Villa have got a good chance."

Defender Luke Young has also backed Villa to overcome their recent home hoodoo and prove they can live up to escalatingexpectation levels.

While their form away from has been superb, O'Neill's men have failed to win any of their last four games at Villa Park, having lost to Middlesbrough and MSK Zilina and drawn with Man United and Fulham.

The hype surrounding fifth-placed Villa's Champions League quest has fuelled increasing expectation levels among supporters and Young admits that has piled further pressure on them when at home.

The defender, speaking at a signing session to promote 'Villa on a Plate' – a new recipe book to help raise funds for Acorns – remains confident they can notch a first home victory since October 29.

"The home form has just crept up on us a little bit. I think we started the season fairly well at home but it's been a little bit of a struggle the last few games.

"Do we feel more pressure? Perhaps, especially as we haven't won for a few games.

"If we'd beaten Fulham, that would have eased the pressure a little, but I think people are starting to say 'they're doing really well away from home but it's becoming an issue at home'.

"It's not something we're overly worried about. We feel we can go out and beat Bolton."