Cuellar: Villa can crack the top four.

Byline: Mat Kendrick

CARLOS Cuellar insists Champions League-chasing Villa have entered the international break with renewed confidence that they can gatecrash the Premier League top four.

Villa's 5-1 thrashing of Bolton last Saturday has left Martin O'Neill's men perfectly poised in fifth place ahead of their next Premier League match at Burnley in ten days' time.

And Cuellar, who excelled in his preferred central defensive role against the Trotters, insists the victory came at an opportune time after two draws and a defeat away from home.

"I am happy to play anywhere," said the Spaniard, whose previous first-team chances have come out of position at right-back this season and most of last term.

"I will play wherever I am needed, but the most important thing is to play for the team and try to help the team defend.

"We have confidence with us now and we are making good progress. We are still confident we can get into the top four of the league."

Cuellar is full of praise for John Carew following his match-winning display against Bolton and admits he is glad to have the Norwegian battering ram as a team-mate rather than an opponent.

Carew scored one and was involved in three other goals.

"I am happy John plays for Villa," said Cuellar. "I would rather play with him than against him.

"As you can imagine, he is hard to defend against.

"John is very big and is probably the best player in the air in the Premier League."

Cuellar's dual ambition is to help Villa qualify for the Champions League and force his way into the Spanish national team ahead of next summer's World Cup finals in South Africa.

"Getting in the World Cup squad is really hard because the Spain squad is a tough one but I am working hard to try and go to the finals," Cuellar said.

"It will be difficult but I will try. I just hope to keep playing well and then we will see what happens."

Villa's home league *match against West Ham has been put back a day to Sunday, January 17, at 1.30pm for live television coverage on Sky.