O'Neill gives Villa stars a break

O'Neill's men face Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday and Crystal Palace in an FA Cup fifth-round replay in midweek before the Carling Cup final against Manchester United. And the Villa boss wants his players to be as fit as possible. He told AVTV: "There is a group of players who I have given quite a number of days off. "They don't miss training sessions, they don't miss matches and I must admit at this particular time, freshness is the most important issue. "It is trying to keep players fresh and the best way to do it is maybe to take them out of the environment altogether."