Two of the Premier League's most off-form teams meet at Villa Park when Martin O'Neill's side, without a victory in nine matches, entertain a Hull City team that is in free-fall.

Villa's winless sequence now stretches to almost three months since they won 2-0 at Blackburn Rovers, the last time they kept a clean sheet.

In those nine encounters, Villa have conceded 20 goals, a sequence that has coincided with Martin Laursen's injury-enforced absence.

The run now means that Villa are struggling to hold off Everton's challenge for fifth spot, having failed in their attempt to wrestle fourth place from Arsenal's grasp.

The Tigers' recent record puts Villa's poor form in perspective though, as Phil Brown's team have struggled since October.

Hull's amazing start to the campaign, when they won six of their first nine games, is now just a hazy memory and they have gone on to secure only two more victories, against Middlesbrough and Fulham since.

After beating the Cottagers they have taken only two points from six matches and are now only three points above both Middlesbrough and Newcastle United with four matches of the season left.

Brown will turn to Daniel Cousin to lead his attack at Villa Park after deciding not to appeal against Caleb Folan's red card in the home defeat to Liverpool.

Ian Ashbee is available after serving his two-match ban, but Anthony Gardner (back) and Jimmy Bullard (knee) have already been ruled out for the season.

Meanwhile, O'Neill will once again be without long-term injury victims Laursen and Wilfred Bouma (ankle) while Gabriel Agbonlahor continues to struggle with a hamstring problem.

At the KC Stadium in December, Kamil Zayatte's late own goal handed Villa all three points.

There was more late drama though as referee Steve Bennett seemingly awarded a penalty to the Tigers only to then change his mind.