Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill would love to keep his first-choice XI on the pitch.

O'Neill fielded the same team for seven consecutive weeks in the Premier League earlier this season and said: "My Christmas wish? If you are talking about football, and Villa, then it has to be keeping all of my players available to me.

"People can see for themselves where we would like to go. I know something, we will be closer, about four million miles closer, if all of our players are fit."