Former Aston Villa striker John Carew is convinced by the potential of Paul Lambert's team.

Carew is hopeful Villa can beat the drop this term.

"They have big potential. They are very talented," he told Sky Sports. "When they are at their best, they can beat any team. Look at Liverpool at Anfield.

"Some of them were in the reserve team when I was there. They were the future of the team and they had to come up at one point.

"They have real quality. It's the new generation for the club. This is the period where they become men. That's the hard period for them.

"It would be sad if they went down. They still have hope. Villa are my team and I hope they stay up.

"It's too big a team to go down. I hope they manage to get through this. That's the most important thing this season and then next season it will be much better."