Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has admitted that Christian Benteke's return from suspension is a big relief ahead of Tuesday's trip to Crystal Palace.

The striker has been missing for Villa's last three games after picking up a red card in their 2-1 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur on November 2.

The Villans are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season with just seven goals in 13 games, but Lambert is hopeful that the Belgian can help the team to climb away from the bottom half of the table.

"In my own opinion, when he's on his game I think he's one of the best in Europe, let alone in Britain," the Scot is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News. "I've seen some brilliant strikers in my time and, when that guy's on his game, he's certainly up there. So that's a massive boost to us."

Villa are currently in 16th place in the standings, two points above the relegation zone.