Villa boss Martin O'Neill

Aston Villa are looking forward to the second leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Blackburn this evening.

Villa take a 1-0 lead into the home leg, and O'Neill is urging his players to adapt a "positive mindset" to ensure there are no slip-ups.

Villa will progress to their first major final for 10 years if they repeat Sunday's goalless draw against the Hammers after triumphing 1-0 in the first leg at Ewood Park last Thursday.

But O'Neill is determined his players will not adopt a negative approach and rest on their laurels against Sam Allardyce's side.

"We have got to approach the game on its own merit and try to win the game from that viewpoint," he said.

"I don't think we could be thinking about having any other approach because it takes only a second to get a goal and, if Blackburn score early on, you are back to level anyway.

"Any advantage can be taken away in seconds. We must have a positive approach, absolutely, and forget the first leg in effect.

"I also think Blackburn would have taken great heart from the fact that decisions went their way at Ewood Park.

"They could have been in more serious trouble at half-time in that particular match. They came out very strongly in the second half as we expected and yet we had some chances ourselves.

"The game will be very tight."

O'Neill is aware what a Wembley final would mean to the club and the players.

He said: "There is no doubt, it is a very important game. We have come this far. I don't want to throw it away and we want to give everything we have and I know that is the one thing we will do.

"On the day, we may not get the luck to carry us through, I don't know, but it won't be through lack of trying.

"The players are buoyant and they can get even better as players and as a team. There is plenty of confidence about the team and we are ready to go."

Striker John Carew is Villa's only new injury doubt with a knee injury suffered in training on Monday.

But the Norway international has been confined chiefly to the bench in recent games and O'Neill is likely to retain the team which won at Ewood Park.

That will mean number two keeper Brad Guzan, who has played in the majority of the cup games this season, again taking over from Brad Friedel.