Birmingham Mail: MARTIN Laursen says Villa will not give up on their European quest and has called for his team-mates to prove they are "men and not boys". Villa were given a flicker of hope by Fulham's defeat of Everton yesterday but still trail David Moyes' side by seven points with eight games to go. They are also a point behind Portsmouth in the race for the InterToto with Pompey, who beat Villa 2-0 at the weekend, facing a relatively easier run-in. Laursen insists the home clash with Sunderland is now a must-win game. "This is a test for us now,'' he said. "But that's what it's all about. We have to prove we are men and not boys. "We have to prove we can stand tough when things are not going our way. "When you are winning, everything is easy. When you have a few bad results you have to show your character and that is what we will do. We are not giving up."

Birmingham Mail: MARTIN O'Neill has hinted at a loss of belief in his squad but is confident they can recover from a nightmare week to salvage their season. A home draw against Middlesbrough and defeat to Portsmouth have left Villa's European dreams looking rather less secure than they were after back-to-back wins against Newcastle and Reading and a tremendous point at Arsenal. The Villa boss said: "Last Wednesday afternoon we were looking forward to some big matches and we are now sitting with one point. "We've got to put it right. We've got eight games to go, we have a lot of points to pick up and if we get back to a real genuine belief about ourselves we can do it." O'Neill is in no doubt Villa would have picked up something at Fratton Park had they been able to take their chances. "Whatever you boil it down to, it is about taking chances, and it is about saving them at the other end," he said.

Birmingham Mail: OLOF Mellberg believes he was unfortunate to receive a second yellow card from referee Chris Foy at Portsmouth. It was the first of his near eight-year stay at Villa and came on a ground where he was left on the bench for the first time in his career five years ago. Mellberg was carded for grabbing Niko Kranjcar around the neck and then tapping Lassana Diarra's ankles. He said the second yellow card was harsh. "There was definitely nothing much in it,'' he said. "He sent one of their guys off (Sulley Muntari) so maybe it had a little bit to do with that. It was a foul, I couldn't quite get there, but a card was a little harsh."

Express and Star: Olof Mellberg admits Villa need to raise their game to qualify for Europe now. Defeat for Martin O'Neill's men onSaturday at Portsmouth, who leapfrogged Villa, who dropped to seventh, while they are 10 points off the final Champions League spot with eight games left. And while Everton's defeat at Fulham yesterday kept the gap between Villa and the one UEFA Cup place to seven points, Mellberg believes it's a tough task. "It's still possible - we can still qualify but we need a hell of a run," said the defender. "We're 10 points behind Liverpool, and they're playing really well at the moment. "We're aware of the situation with Portsmouth and teams behind us like Blackburn and Manchester City."

Sporting Life: Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill could be faced with a right-back dilemma for Saturday's home Premier League clash with Sunderland. O'Neill has operated all season without a specialist player in that position after he sold Aaron Hughes to Fulham and Mark Delaney's retired with a long-term knee problem. Centre-back Olof Mellberg has fulfilled the role for most of the campaign but the Juventus-bound player is suspended against the Black Cats after his sending-off against Portsmouth for two bookable offences. Midfielder Craig Gardner is the other player to have occupied the right-back slot this season but he is currently struggling with a back problem which forced him to be substituted at half-time in the mid-week draw with Middlesbrough. The England Under-21 player was not fit enough to be part of the Villa 16 for the 2-0 reversal at Fratton Park which put a big dent in their European hopes.