Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has warned his team-mates to beware the threat of Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane in tonight's Midlands derby with Coventry City at Highfield Road.

Villa pulled out of a bid to sign Keane for £6 million from Wolves before Coventry snapped him up and the stage is set for the 19-year-old to return to haunt Villa manager John Gregory.

Gregory's team head into the game having taken just two points from a possible 18 and Hendrie said: "Robbie will be Coventry's most dangerous player - he can create something out of nothing. But we have a great record at Coventry and all the players are determined to make this the night when we start winning again. We are buzzing and are determined to beat City."

Hendrie, who will return to the side at Highfield Road after a one-match absence with a calf strain, admitted that Keane would have been a useful acquisition for Villa. "It is a shame that we didn't sign Robbie. He is a wonderful player and could go on to be world class. Since his move to Coventry he has gone on to show that he can play at the top level. But at the time, it would have been a gamble. When he was at Wolves no one was really sure if he could make the step up into the Premiership.

"You can understand why the manager was unsure because there were a lot of people asking questions at the time."

The game also sees the first return of George Boateng after his controversial move to Villa Park last season. The Dutch under-21 international switched camps in a £4.6 million move, following Dion Dublin, which upset Coventry. They accused Villa of an illegal approach to the former Feyenoord midfielder, a claim which was never proved.