Wolves striker Kevin Doyle goes head to head with Republic of Ireland team-mate Richard Dunne on Saturday and is braced for a testing battle.

In-form Doyle has scored three goals in his last five appearances but knows adding to that tally against Aston Villa will be tricky as his international colleague poses a formidable barrier in the centre of defence.

Dunne made the switch from Manchester City to Villa in the summer, after being squeezed out during a period of heavy investment at Eastlands, and Doyle is convinced Martin O'Neill made a shrewd buy.

Doyle said: "Richard is a very good defender as are all defenders are in the Premier League. So it is going to be another tough game. I was surprised when he left Manchester City as he had been their captain.

"We will say 'hello' beforehand and then we won't talk again until after the game. I don't know whether he has many weaknesses. He is a very good player. I am always on his side for Ireland and in training so I can't really say that I know him inside out.

"It certainly won't make it any easier for either of us. One thing I do know is that I won't be marking him at the set-pieces. We know he is a big threat in front of goal and that is something we will have to be aware of."