Gerard Houllier has been handed a selection fillip with Stewart Downing set to be fit to face Fulham on Saturday.
Downing hobbled off in the 3-1 English Premier League loss to Manchester United on Wednesday but Houllier is confident the England winger will play against Mark Hughes’s men.
However, defender Luke Young’s knee injury continues to cause Houllier headaches.
Young has been out of action for two months and Houllier is anxious to find a solution.
“Stewart should be fine. It was just a kick on the side of his shin,” Houllier said.
“As for Luke, he saw a specialist in London so it will depend what the results are.”
Houllier has vowed that Villa’s loss at Old Trafford will not knock his side out of their stride after their recent revival.
The 3-1 reverse against Sir Alex Ferguson’s title favourites was Villa’s first setback since the depressing loss at home to Sunderland on January 5.
“Our overall performance was good,” he said.
“I like a team to try to the end and they did that. The spirit is there and that’s something to work on for the future.”
Houllier will be keen for goalkeeper Brad Friedel to continue in his current form.
Friedel crowned his record-breaking appearance as Villa’s oldest ever player with a string of top-class saves at Old Trafford.
“He’s doing extremely well at the moment and is in good form. If our results have been better lately, it’s partly that,” Houllier said.
Fulham, meanwhile, will be aiming to improve their poor away form.
The Cottagers have won only once away from Craven Cottage in the league since August 2009 – a 2-0 win at Stoke in December.
Midfielder Steve Sidwell, who joined Fulham from Villa on loan on January 7, is expected to play against his old side.
Sidwell hit the headlines in the 1-0 win over Newcastle on Wednesday when he accidentally caught striker Shola Ameobi with his elbow.
Ameobi suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone in the challenge.
Experienced striker Eidur Gudjohnsen will come into the Fulham reckoning after joining on loan from Stoke City until the end of the season.