By Paul Brown

Brad Friedel is expecting a titanic battle on Monday - because of Hull's thirst for points.

Friedel believes it is really tough facing teams in either the upper or lower echelons of the Barclays Premier League when the season is drawing to a close because points are vital.

Villa face Hull, Middlesbrough and Newcastle in the run-in and look set to have a big say in the relegation battle.

He told AVTV: "Our results will be important.

"You could see that shaping up when you looked at the table during the festive period.

"Games against the top or bottom clubs in the league at the end of the season are always difficult because they have something to play for and they are really battling.

"You'd prefer to play a team who have been in a relegation battle and have come out of it with three or four wins. You'd like a team that is already safe and has already achieved its targets for the season.

"We will certainly have several battles on our hands - Newcastle, Hull and Middlesbrough are desperate for points and Fulham won't be easy either.

"The Hull game will be a very difficult one. I don't think they'll really want it to be an outstanding match.

"But we will need to stand up and be counted and deal with a lot of balls into our box.

"In saying that, we should try and force the initiative. We want to get the ball down and play football.

"Hopefully, as the game pans out, we will be able to heap a lot of pressure on them and they won't be able to cope with it."