O'Neill expects reinvigorated Arsenal

O'Neill does not feel Villa have gained an advantage from the Gunners going through to the last eight of this season's competition - and still being involved in the FA Cup - while they have only the Premier League left to compete in.Fourth-placed Villa, who entertain Tottenham on Sunday, currently head Arsene Wenger's team by three points entering the final 10 games of the season.O'Neill said: "Did Arsenal's exertions in midweek help Villa? I didn't see it that way at all."I think Arsenal will be re-energised by the result more than anything else. It was a great boost for them."With their players coming back from injury, they will have a pretty strong squad for the final few weeks of the season. Their squad is stronger than ours and they have been there before."Things are still in our own hands. We have a lot of tough fixtures in the immediate future and Sunday's game is so important to us."But we would still hope to be in a good position for the last six or seven games of the season."O'Neill feels the Villa players have reaped the benefits of a five-day break in Dubai and are ready for the challenges ahead.He said: "The break has done the players a world of good and I think they are all set for what is in effect a 10-game season."It is up to us. We have to try to get ourselves going again at Villa Park, try to win a match there, and we are capable of doing it."O'Neill admits skipper Martin Laursen may have only a minimal part to play for the remainder of the season after a setback in his recovery from knee surgery which means he is unlikely to make his comeback at Manchester United on April 5.He said: "Maybe he overdid things a little bit. It's a setback for him. I was hoping he might be back for the United game but I would not be convinced about that now."The Villa boss also indicated he is set to hold further talks this week with midfielder Stiliyan Petrov over a new contract.The Bulgaria international, who has been in fine form this season, has only 16 months to run of his current deal.O'Neill is weighing up whether to include left-back Wilfred Bouma in his squad to face Tottenham after eight months out of action with a dislocated ankle.The Holland international made his comeback in a midweek reserve game.

Source: Team_Talk