Burnley came up from the Championship last season via the play-offs and rightly didn’t go crazy bringing in new players before predictably heading back down to the Championship without too many heading for the exit. They were soundly beaten 4-0 at home by Reading last weekend, two of the starting line-up – Brian Jensen and Tyrone Mears – started every Premiership game the season before and five others had at least a dozen Premiership starts under their belts.

They may have frustrated us 1-1 at Turf Moor, but were easily beaten 5-2 at Villa Park – the third time they conceded five during the season – Ash with the opener, Stewart Downing with a quickfire double and Heskey & Gabby finished off the rout.

Burnley have to go to Loftus Rd next Saturday with QPR currently at the top of the table. Brian Laws will know his priorities and the Carling Cup isn’t likely to be top of his pops right now.

As for our pops, well the Carling Cup is obviously our best hope of silverware this season. I’m more interested in the European place it offers myself, we may not be in the hunt through league position come May.

You ought to know by now that Gabby’s a week or so away from returning, Luke Young is a little further ahead and Stephen Warnock will be suspended. With Petrov’s ligament damage confirmed as grade three, the worst case scenario, he’ll be out for at least a couple of months and Nigel Reo-Coker has been confirmed as the long term replacement wearing the armband, Richard Dunne will assume the vice-captaincy.

I imagine that Houllier might want to inject a little youth into the team to provide some rotation and experience, as he did against Blackburn, but won’t want to take too many chances. The most interesting element of his team selection, for me, being at left back with the only natural cover for Warnock being Shane Lowry, but I can’t recall the last time he was anywhere near the first team. Certainly not this season.

I think we got about as much as we need to see of Habib Beye on the left during the fateful Europa League match against Rapid Vienna, but Eric Lichaj isn’t too shabby on the wrong side. Perhaps more likely, since he’s a lefty and appeared to be warming up last weekend in preparation to replace Warnock at Sunderland, would be Ciaran Clark. I know, a centre half at full back…. unthinkable!!

I’m not sure of the available media coverage for this one, I don’t think it’s on TV, so there’s unlikely to be much of a match report later, but we’ll have the facts, so much as we know.

We do at least know the results from the ties played so far:-

• Birmingham 1-1 Brentford (4-3 Penalties)
• Ipswich 3-1 Northampton
• Leicester 1-4 West Brom
• Man Utd 3-2 Wolves
• Wigan 2-0 Swansea

As a quick aside, the Birmingham vs Brentford game went to penalties and at least a half dozen of the likely starters for Sunday’s derby game were in action during extra time, Ridgewell, Carr, Dann and Gardner played all two hours.

Man Utd went through to the next round thanks to an injury time winner from Hernandez, Leicester were comfortably beaten without Curtis Davies in the side, so he’s avoided being cup tied. For what it’s worth.

Remaining 4th Round ties:-

• Aston Villa vs Burnley
• Newcastle vs Arsenal
• West Ham vs Stoke

Aston Villa Starting XI from last round against Blackburn: Guzan, Warnock, Lichaj, Clark, Cuellar, Sidwell, Reo-Coker, A Young, Bannan, Carew, Agbonlahor. Subs: Friedel, Beye, Davies, Salifou, Osbourne, Heskey, Dlefouneso.