Sherwood targeting derby rivals

Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood is hoping to please the fans with a Capital One Cup third-round victory over derby rivals Birmingham City at Villa Park on Tuesday.

Villa have been struggling in the Premier League since their opening-day win over Bournemouth, with four defeats from their five matches since then, but Sherwood is hoping that beating the Blues will be the perfect tonic.

"It's a good game to send our fans home happy, because they haven't had many of them this season," he said. "We tell the players that this means an awful lot, it's not just a normal game.

"It's a derby game and anything can happen. We expect to win the football match, like every game, but it doesn't always work out that way."

Villa are just above the relegation zone with just four points to their name, but Sherwood will be looking to rediscover the form that saw them escape relegation last season and reach the FA Cup final.

"We haven't had the rub of the green this season and we haven't got what we've deserved," he added. "We take it on the chin and we get on with it. We're in a difficult period results-wise now, we're going to fight to get ourselves out of it.