Aston Villa defender James Collins says teammate Richard Dunne is up for a big performance against former club Manchester City tonight.
Dunne spent nine years with City before finding himself surplus to requirements after the signing of Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott and moved to Villa five weeks ago.
Collins said: "I watched Dunney when at my previous club and always knew he was a great player and a fantastic defender. Playing alongside him is great.
"I am sure Richard is looking forward to it. It's always nice to play against your old clubs.
"Richard was there for a long time. He has a lot of friends there and, at home in front of his new fans, he will want to impress.
"Was I surprised City let him go? Yes, I was a little bit. They spent a lot of money on the two centre-halves there and Richard obviously felt he wasn't going to get too much playing time there so he decided to move on.
"Obviously Manchester City were disappointed but it's great for Aston Villa to have such a great player here.
"It's only been a few games but straightaway you can tell he's top drawer. He's a big fella, commanding and talks very well. He makes it quite easy to play alongside him."