Stoke City goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen believes former club Aston Villa can finish in the top four.

Sorensen is convinced Villa can sustain their top-four challenge because they do not have the distraction of European football.

"I think they definitely can," he said.

"They have got a good team, a good balance, with maybe one more midfielder going forward with James Milner and then Stiliyan Petrov sitting back a bit.

"It gives a lot of the players space and time to be forward-thinking and it is paying off at the moment.

"Last season, maybe they paid a bit with the European involvement, but I think now they've got a better squad.

"There has been a lot of money spent on good players so, even with a few injuries, they've got a few options which you need to be in the top four."