Aston Villa v Bolton preview

There will definitely be one Premier League casualty in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, as Aston Villa and Bolton lock horns.

Top flight rivals go head-to-head in the Carling Cup third round

There will definitely be one Premier League casualty in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, as Aston Villa and Bolton lock horns. The top-flight rivals will meet at Villa Park with a place in the fourth round up for grabs. Alex McLeish took Birmingham all the way last season and will be reluctant to relinquish his grip on the trophy. Bolton, meanwhile, will be hoping knockout competition can kick-start their campaign, with four consecutive defeats suffered in the Premier League. Aston Villa boss McLeish will check on the fitness of three key players ahead of the midweek encounter. Record signing Darren Bent (groin), defender Stephen Warnock (hip) and skipper Stiliyan Petrov (ankle) were all injured during the weekend draw with Newcastle. McLeish intends to play his strongest available team but the likes of Stephen Ireland and Marc Albrighton could come into contention if he is forced into changes. Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden will make his first appearance since March after recovering from a serious knee injury. The United States international has been badly missed and boss Owen Coyle has confirmed that Holden will be one of a number of changes from the side beaten 2-1 by Norwich on Saturday. Striker Ivan Klasnic is suspended following his red card at the weekend while on-loan Manchester City defender Dedryck Boyata is ineligible and Bolton are still waiting to discover whether the same is true of Chelsea loanee Gael Kakuta.