[Mighty T.A.L.]

Midlands rivals Aston Villa and Leicester City meet on Wednesday in a repeat of last season's third round Carling Cup tie.

Last season's encounter between the teams ended 3-2 to Villa thanks to a last-gasp winner from Gabriel Agbonlahor at the Walkers Stadium.

And fans from both teams will be hoping for an equal dose of excitement from this encounter, which takes place on this occasion at Villa Park.

Villa manager Martin O'Neill, who had a successful stint in charge of the Foxes from 1995-2000, will give a debut to on-loan defender Curtis Davies.

Changes

The Villa boss told the club's official website: "Curtis will definitely play on Wednesday and there will be a couple of other changes.

"I want Curtis to play. He has sat there on the bench for a couple of games; he has had a look at it.

"He realises that it will be difficult to get into the side, which is what I want. But Curtis is here for the long term. I envisage him being a big part of things."

Patrik Berger and Stilian Petrov are also in consideration for the clash with Gary Megson's side.

High

Villa go into the game on a high, having beaten Everton 2-0 in the Premiership on Sunday.

Leicester lost 2-0 away to Charlton in the Championship on Saturday but overcame Nottingham Forrest 3-2 at the City Ground in the previous round.

On the injuries front, two players suffered problems in Monday's reserve game - winger Julio Marco Ferreira (hamstring) and striker Elvis Hammond (ankle).

But the team will be cheered on by great support - 3,700 tickets had been sold to Leicester fans by Tuesday for this mouth-watering tie.

Skysports