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."

The clash carries an extra edge for Doyle as it will be the first local derby of his career having never played in one for Cork City in Ireland or for Reading.

He is relishing the clash and said: "I expect it to be a fast, end-to-end match with plenty of atmosphere.

"I have never played in a derby game before but I know what the match means to the fans.

"It is a massive game for them and also a massive game for the players and we will be up for it like we are for all games.

"For the fans, games like this make or break them for a few weeks because they will be working with people who are Villa fans and they won't want to be going into work on Monday morning if their team has lost."

As well as tackling Dunne, Doyle will also be up against his former Reading team-mate Steve Sidwell.

Sidwell has become a key man in the Villa midfield and Doyle knows what kind of threat he will pose.

"Steve was a top player at Reading," added Doyle, "and I don't think they ever really replaced him.

"Steve is a real all-rounder. He gets goals, he breaks up play, he starts play and he is a real box-to-box player. He has endless energy."

Wolves are heading into the game on a high after picking up an impressive point at Everton last weekend when they were only two minutes away from a win following Doyle's goal.

Villa will also arrive at Molineux on the back of an impressive performance having beaten Chelsea in their previous game.

But Doyle added: "The fact that Villa beat Chelsea last week means nothing this weekend.

"We will go into the game thinking we can win."

Wolves are boosted by the availability of striker Chris Iwelumo for the first time this season.

Scotland international Iwelumo has been sidelined for almost six months by a knee injury and a broken foot.

He will be on the bench as a replacement for Stefan Maierhofer who is suspended after being sent off at Everton.