Source: Team_Talk
O'Neill eyeing Chelsea treble
Villa have already beaten Chelsea once this season - winning 2-1 at Villa Park in October.[LNB]O'Neill is aiming to clinch a League double to revive his side's bid to qualify for the Champions League and then follow it up by also beating Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final.[LNB]Having drawn seven of their last 10 league games, Villa badly need three points against Chelsea to stay in the race for a fourth-place finish.[LNB]O'Neill said: "They are two big games against Chelsea - no doubt about that. We have our own incentives and are still in there fighting despite the last two results being draws.[LNB]"Up and down results at this stage of the season are inevitable.[LNB]"It is a case of hanging in there and getting a couple of results - a couple of wins rather than a couple of draws - and to keep that gap there so when it gets really tight for the last four or five games we are still in there with a shout.[LNB]"Our recent record doesn't bother me. I am not perturbed. Had it occurred in my days at Leicester I would probably have been perturbed but I was younger then.[LNB]"We are in there fighting and I am absolutely fine. It is where we finish at the end of the season that matters and the one thing I can say with absolute certainty is that my players do not give up."[LNB]O'Neill feels the improvements shown by his squad has enabled them to compete with the likes of Chelsea.[LNB]He added: "Occasionally we are misguided but the young players are getting better and are able to compete against the top-quality sides.[LNB]"We are going to Chelsea thinking we can win the game. A couple of years ago if Aston Villa were going to Stamford Bridge it was a case of trying to keep the score down.[LNB]"But Chelsea's record at Stamford Bridge belies belief and they have done it for a considerable period of time. They are a very fine side and will be hard to beat."[LNB]O'Neill also believes Carlo Ancelotti has shaped the Chelsea team in the way he wants.[LNB]"Carlo Ancelotti has stepped in there and inherited some really fine players," admitted O'Neill.[LNB]"He has had to put his stamp on the proceedings and last week was the first time they had been out of the top two."[LNB]O'Neill also believes Chelsea are strong enough to take the blow of exiting the Champions League in their stride.[LNB]"Less than 10 days ago they were competing on three fronts and suddenly disaster falls," he said.[LNB]"This is today's story but Ancelotti has proved himself to be a fantastic manager and I think he has been great for the game."[LNB]O'Neill has major selection problems for the game as Richard Dunne, James Milner and Emile Heskey have Achilles problems with Gabriel Agbonlahor battling to recover from a foot injury.[LNB]The injury problems could not have come at a worse time for O'Neill and he added: "We are now coming into the really difficult stage of the season with games coming thick and fast. This is when you hope the squad system will come into play.[LNB]"We do have a group of players here who could do with a week or two rest but we also have some excellent players waiting to play and I am sure they are chomping at the bit.[LNB]"If this is an opportunity against Chelsea for some of these players to play then it is fine by me.[LNB]"One or two may consider themselves hard done by being squad players. We haven't changed many things over the last couple of months and everyone has wanted to play.[LNB]"The end of the season is in sight but there is still a great deal of determination and a focus for the players.[LNB]"The top teams have not only numerical strength in depth but have real strength of ability. This is what we are striving for.[LNB]"Those clubs have earned the right to have quality players and at the end of the season they have a fair chance of being involved in big competitions."[LNB][LNB] Chelsea v Aston Villa. Click here to bet.
