Stewart Downing has warned his West Ham United teammates to expect a tough clash against former club Aston Villa this weekend.

The Hammers make the trip to Villa Park on Saturday with the home side looking for points in their bid to avoid the drop.

Villa are two points clear of the relegation zone following their vital 3-2 triumph over Everton.

While he admits that West Ham are more than capable of coming away from the match with the three points, Downing believes that they will be made to work hard for the victory.

"It'll be tough at Villa as they have done ever so well since Tim Sherwood came in. They had a big result against Liverpool in the FA Cup and it's helped us in the league," he told the club's official website.

"Going to Villa Park is a difficult game and they'll probably target us as a winnable game, but if we create our chances like we do and take them better than we have done, I think we can go there and beat them."

Downing joined Aston Villa from Middlesbrough in 2009 before moving to Liverpool two years later.