Source: Daily_Mail
Villa's summer signing Downing to face Tottenham after return from injury
Stewart Downing boosted his chances of making a home debut for Aston Villa against Tottenham on Saturday after a successful appearance for the reserves last night.[LNB]Set for his home debut: Aston Villa's Stewart Downing is ready to face Spurs this weekend[LNB]Martin O'Neill's £12m summer capture from Middlesbrough completed 75 minutes against Arsenal at Underhill and set up one of the goals in Villa's 2-1 success over the Gunners.[LNB]The England winger made a late appearance as a substitute against Burnley - his first for Villa - in last weekend's 1-1 draw in the Barclays Premier League.[LNB]Downing broke his foot in April, ironically in a tackle made by Villa skipper Stiliyan Petrov, but O'Neill still went ahead with his recruitment despite the prospect of a lengthy lay-off.[LNB]O'Neill admitted: 'Having Stewart available has given us another dimension and he is so keen to be involved and make an impression.'[LNB]Meanwhile, central defender James Collins is again a doubtful starter to face Harry Redknapp's side with the groin injury which forced him out of the clash with Burnley.[LNB]O'Neill has been delighted with the contribution of Collins since his £5m move from West Ham in August and he has formed an effective partnership with Richard Dunne.[LNB]He said: 'What James has done for us so far hasn't surprised me. He is a quality centre-back, brave, and he can play the ball as well.[LNB]'I couldn't have asked much more of him but I would say he is a doubt still at the moment for the weekend and it (the groin) is something we will keep an eye on.'[LNB] 2018 World Cup: England's cities do battle for the right to stage matchesRedknapp set to give City star Richards the chance to resurrect his England career at SpursAston Villa full-back Shorey makes shock move to Nottingham ForestARSENAL FC
