O'Neill fears difficult Villa tie against Rapid Vienna

Aug 8 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail

But the Villa boss refuses to regard the depressing CSKA Moscow away game as a defining moment which exposed his stretched squad.

“You gain experiences every season you are involved,” said O’Neill.

“I think for us to try and compete we need a sizeable squad because that is something we weren’t able to sustain last year.

“It didn’t need the game in Moscow to point that out to me. But sometimes you are not able to do all the things you would like to do.

“It would be a much more level playing field if every club in the Premier League was able to do that,” he added.

“We have our own thoughts on what we are trying to achieve and I think for the most part, those things are recognised outside.”

Villa hope today’s friendly against Fiorentina at Villa Park will provide a useful run out ahead of the Premier League curtain-raiser against Wigan in a week’s time.

“Fiorentina are a fantastic football club,” added O’Neill. “They are one of the top Italian sides and have a number of star names.

“To follow up our Peace Cup victory with a home game against real quality European opposition is fantastic and ideal preparation for the start of the season.”