Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is confident Scott Carson can handle the heat of his first Birmingham derby today.

"He can cope with it," said O'Neill. "He's a young kid growing up, he's enjoying it and he's playing really well. There are parts of his game he wants to improve on all the time, but he's got the youth, determination and drive to do it.

"Now, come the game, if selected, he could make three incredible howlers - that's the nature of the game. There's nothing guaranteed, but what's happened in the past won't be something he'll be thinking of. This is new to him."