Villa, who lost to Manchester United in the final of the competition last season, take on their bitter rivals at St Andrew's on Wednesday. They go into the game in far from impressive form as back-to-back Premier League defeats to Blackburn and Arsenal have seen them slip below their rivals in the table. "We must remain extremely focused on the football side," Houllier said. "One of the key weapons in games like this is your composure and your control. That goes for both teams. "In football, we know that provocation is never punished, it's always retaliation which is punished. "We have to make sure that if we are being provoked, we've got the nerve to stand up to the situation and not react." The Frenchman also claimed both sets of fans had a responsibility to ensure the game passes without incident off the pitch. "I hope it remains a game of football," he said. "I have heard so many things about the fact that the fans could be heated and that there would be problems." But he added: "I can only control the team, I can't control the fans. "I hope they can control themselves." The two sides ground out a goalless draw at Villa Park in their league meeting at the end of October and Houllier is expecting another spirited encounter. "What I want, and I'm sure that (Birmingham boss) Alex (McLeish) would wish the same thing, is that the two teams compete in a very good spirit. To me, that's the main thing," he said. "We have a duty to promote football and to set an example to kids. "It's a game which is on TV, and it's a derby, but more importantly, it's a game of football, and a game of football must be played with football arguments and nothing else."
