Birmingham Mail: Stephen Ireland is determined to continue playing through the pain barrier to try to propel struggling Villa up the Premier League table. Ireland made his return to action in Saturday's defeat at Fulham wearing a cast to protect his fractured wrist, which has still not fully healed.

Birmingham Mail: Christian Benteke has been praised for his training-ground finishing - by one of the strikers he has been keeping out of the Villa team. Benteke has wasted a series of Premier League goalscoring opportunities in recent matches despite scoring two goals on international duty for Belgium.

Birmingham Mail: Friends of Stiliyan Petrov will take on a team of former Villa favourites in a fundraising match in aid of leukaemia research next month. Petrov's pals bought the chance to play against the Lions and Legends team for £1,000, including many of the 1982 European Cup-winning heroes, at a charity auction.

Daily Star: Paul Lambert insists he has no animosity towards old club Norwich despite the fact that he's suing them. The Aston Villa boss expects the heat in the kitchen to be turned up when old boss Delia Smith and pals walk into Villa Park on Saturday.

Daily Mail: Aston Villa midfielder Daniel Johnson, 20, has signed for Yeovil on a month-long youth loan deal.

*The extracts on this page are taken from various newspapers and media outlets. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Aston Villa.