Warrior Dunne may be thrown in at deep end
With both sides locked in a struggle just above the relegation zone, embattled Villa boss Paul Lambert badly needs the boost of three points to keep the Birmingham club out of the bottom three.
And that could see him turning to his own wounded giant in the form of the Irish centre-half who, following operations on groin and hip problems, has not kicked a ball in anger since the European Championship finals in Poland in June and has only been back in training for one week at his club.
According to the manager, the final decision about a comeback tonight will be Dunne’s, once Lambert has spoken to him this morning.
“I’ll go by Richard himself,” said the Villa boss. “He’s been out for over half a year now and he’s hardly trained. It’s difficult just to throw him back in. It’s difficult for players who have been out for a few weeks, never mind half a year. You’re taking a risk there. We’ll see how he feels in the morning.”
Doubtless, Giovanni Trapattoni will be keeping his fingers crossed that Dunne — named only as a standby for the February 6 friendly against Poland — comes through whatever challenges the night might have in store, especially in light of Lambert’s explanation for what his defence has been missing in the Tallaght man’s absence.
“I need people who are prepared to be cut in the penalty area,” he said, “People who don’t mind having a clash of heads.”
Meanwhile Alan Pardew is hoping to relaunch Newcastle’s season at Villa after admitting the Demba Ba saga had hit them hard.
The Magpies head for Villa Park sitting just two points clear of the relegation zone, with their hosts one of only four clubs in a worse position.
They will do so, however, having responded to the loss of leading scorer Ba to Chelsea after they activated his infamous £7m release-clause.
The Tynesiders soon signed Frenchmen Mathieu Debuchy, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Yoan Gouffran, Massadio Haidara and Moussa Sissoko, the latter four arriving in the space of as many days last week.
That flurry of activity, coupled with playmaker Yohan Cabaye’s return from injury and the retention of skipper Fabricio Coloccini despite his original wish to return to Argentina, has significantly lifted spirits on Tyneside and Pardew is hoping to see that channelled into a much-improved performance in the Midlands.
He said: “It’s a kind of restart for us because we are so much stronger in terms of depth and quality.
“We have got Yohan coming back, and he’s like a new player; Debuchy has come in and settled quickly, [Sylvain] Marveaux is playing well, and then the new boys on top of that.
“The loss of Demba, I think, really impacted on us. You only have to look at the goals scored and you would have to say it has.
“We have had a small squad since I have been here and now for the first time, I think I have the full allocation, and that goes without the injury crisis we have suffered this particular year.
“We are up to full strength really and now it is about making sure we get the victories we need to build on this.”
Pardew revealed that former Toulouse midfielder Sissoko will make his debut, while Yanga-Mbiwa and Gouffran are likely to be involved in the squad.
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