Carew returned after a two-and-a-half-month lay-off with a back problem as a substitute during yesterday's home goalless draw with Wigan.

Winger and dead-ball specialist Ashley Young is available again after completing a three-game suspension following his straight red card against Sunderland.

With Gabriel Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey already forming an impressive partnership, Carew is promising a tough time for rival defenders.

And he claims Villa have the ideal balance of power and pace.

Carew said: "We have a lot of good offensive players and in the second half against Wigan we had five attempts cleared off the line and hit the post twice.

"The power of our offensive play via all the strikers is amazing. I don't think many teams look forward to playing against the front players of Aston Villa.

"I think quite a lot of defenders will not be relishing that prospect and it doesn't matter which combination we have out there on the pitch.

"They will not look forward to meeting Ashley and Gabby or Heskey and hopefully myself.

"We have a lot of options and, for us to be up there in the Premier League and to stay there, to have more good players and options is good. Getting Emile was really good for us."

Carew was Villa's top scorer with 13 goals last season and was on target seven times during the current campaign before the back problem flared up in November.

Now he is hoping to play a significant role in the final third of the campaign.

He said: "The team have done amazingly and I am just so happy to be part of the team and out on the pitch again.

"I have been out for a while out but it has gone really well in training and I've been building up a really good fitness level so it is just the rhythm of the game and the speed I will need a couple of games to get really into.

"But that aside, my physical form is better than ever. I have recovered quite well, maybe quicker than expected. The back is good enough for me to be back and I want to play a big part now."

Wigan utility player Paul Scharner believes the gritty displays in holding Liverpool and Villa to draws in the space of 72 hours is a sign of how far the team have progressed despite the loss of Heskey and Wilson Palacios.

He said: "We were very lucky - but in two weeks no-one will remember how lucky we were! It was a great defensive display.

"Aston Villa did everything possible to get the three points and we were very strong defensively and we had some good fortune as well.

"We have had two great draws against Liverpool and Aston Villa and it shows how far the team has come.

"We have lost Emile Heskey and Wilson Palacios, and our top scorer Amr Zaki and Antonio Valencia could not play against Villa, and yet we still can compete against the big four.

"We have had a busy month in the transfer market. Unbelievable. No-one was expecting that we would have so many changes but this is football. It is football business."

Scharner is confident Charles N'Zogbia will prove a worthy acquisition if he decides to make the switch from Newcastle to the Latics after the two clubs agreed a fee.

He said: "It will be a good signing. From what I can remember, N'Zogbia was one of the best players when we played Newcastle.

"He has a a decent left foot and this is what we need down that side of the pitch."

Scharner was sorry Heskey decided to leave the Latics but believes his former team-mate can keep Villa on course for a Champions League spot.

He said: "Emile can help them get in the Champions League. He had a good start against Portsmouth with the winning goal in midweek.

"He has quickly slotted into the Villa team and it is very difficult to play against him."