Aston Villa will aim to bounce back from a disappointing midweek outing when they take on Cardiff City in the FA Cup for a place in the quarter-finals.
Unai Emery would have been utterly disappointed at his players and how inconsistent they can get when it really matters. Following a stellar late win at home against Chelsea, Aston Villa faltered on the road as Crystal Palace proved to be a relentless force at Selhurst Park.
After a tight first half where Morgan Rogers cancelled out Ismaila Sarr’s opener, Crystal Palace came out flying in the second half as strikes from Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaila Sarr, and Eddie Nketiah proved enough to secure three points and hurt Aston Villa in the race for the top four.
Emery will be eager to prove a point in the FA Cup and end a long draught for a trophy, as Villa are once again the beneficiary of a home clash. They did have tricky opposition in the two prior rounds of the competition, although they did manage to beat West Ham United and Tottenham Hostpur. Aston Villa now hosts Cardiff City to book a place in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Cardiff City are hoping to cause a big upset at Villa Park despite knowing Emery’s side are very much strong on home turf. The Bluebirds are into the fifth round after an incredible 11 years, as they reached this stage following victories over fellow Championship sides Sheffield United and Stoke City, needing a penalty shoot-out win against the latter.
Omer Riza’s men have since struggled for form in the league, managing just two points in the next three games, which caused some concerns about being dragged into a relegation fight. However, Cardiff came up with some answers as they hosted fellow strugglers Hull City in midweek and secured a narrow yet vital win over the Tigers.
Callum Robinson’s second-half strike proved enough to secure the win, which opened a six-point gap with the relegation zone. Riza will want the momentum carried forward to this FA Cup clash, as they aim to go the distance and add to the only FA Cup they have in their history, which came in 1927, although they did come close in 2008 when they lost the Final to Portsmouth.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Unai Emery will be keen to rotate his pack following a disappointing midweek outing against Crystal Palace, as he might mostly change things up in the attack. Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio are in line for starts, while the manager might revert to a different system compared to the back three deployed at Selhurst Park.
Tyrone Mings’s minutes are still being managed, as he sat out the visit to Crystal Palace as an unused substitute. He will be in line for a start against Cardiff City as Emery reverts to a back four. At the same time, Ezri Konsa features in the other central defensive position as Axel Disasi drops out as he is ineligible. Andres Garcia and Ian Maatsen will feature in the full-back roles.
The bigger concern for Emery comes in the position behind his defence. Emiliano Martinez was taken off with a suspected hamstring problem at half-time against Crystal Palace. Robin Olsen replaced the Argentine in midweek and could be in line for a start against Cardiff City.
Emery continues to be without some of his key starters, including Pau Torres, Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana, and Ross Barkley. Hence, Aston Villa could line up with a midfield pairing of John McGinn and Youri Tielemans. The manager is also likely to rest his key attackers, Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers, with Donyell Malen and Leon Bailey set to join Asensio and Rashford in the attacking third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Olsen; Garcia, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Tielemans, McGinn; Bailey, Asensio, Rashford; Malen
Cardiff City
Cardiff City will be without starting keeper Jak Alnwick, who will miss the remainder of the season with a torn hamstring. USMNT star Ethan Horvath is the likely starter for this clash between the sticks against Villa. Omer Riza also has Ollie Tarner missing out, while Will Alves, David Turnbull, Jesper Daland, and skipper Joe Ralls are all out of contention ahead of this trip to Birmingham.
There are also concerns over veteran Aaron Ramsey’s workload. He has only recently returned from a long lay-off, meaning he might still start but may not last the entire ninety minutes. Villa Park can also witness a familiar face in Anwar El-Ghazi, who will want to make an impact on the pitch, while Riza can also recall centre-back Dimitrios Goutas following a ban.
Following the win over Hull City courtesy of a goal from Robinson, who incidentally matched his best scoring season with 12 Championship goals, he will be a key man for Cardiff in the final third. Yousef Saleh will lead the line for the Bluebirds at Villa Park.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Horvath; Ng, Goutas, Fish; Rinomhota, Mannsverk, Ramsey, O’Dowda; El Ghazi, Robinson; Salech
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have won their last four home matches against Cardiff City in all competitions.
- Aston Villa and Cardiff City have met three times previously in the FA Cup, with the Bluebirds progressing twice (third round in 1926/27, fourth round in 1948/49) and the Villans going through once (third round in 1928/29).
- Cardiff City are unbeaten in their last three games.
- While playing outside of the top-flight, Cardiff City have been eliminated from their last eight FA Cup ties with Premier League opponents. Their last victory was away at Middlesbrough in the 2007/08 quarter-final, winning 2-0.
- Morgan Rogers has been involved in three of Aston Villa’s four FA Cup goals in 2024/25 (G2 A1), scoring in both matches. He has also made the most dribbles of any Aston Villa player (6), while he has the second-most chances created (4) and shots attempted (5) this season.
Player to Watch
Marcus Rashford
Aston Villa are in need of inspiration in the attacking third, and while they do have some notable names in the mix, Rashford is one of those. The Manchester United loanee is yet to have that kind of performance that makes everyone stand up and take notice, although he did show glimpses of it earlier in the win over Chelsea.
This FA Cup clash against Cardiff City could be the ideal platform for Rashford to make his presence felt and have a significant performance. Despite the next opponents coming from the lower tier, there is still pressure to reach the quarter-finals after ten long years, and players like Rashford will have the spotlight on them to perform and deliver.
Prediction
Aston Villa 3-1 Cardiff City
Cardiff City do have a squad that is decent enough to push a top team like Aston Villa to the edge. However, they do not have the momentum to cause a potential upset. They only managed to beat fellow strugglers Hull City by a narrow margin, and this trip to Villa Park may expose their frailties.
Aston Villa are eager to bounce back from a disappointing midweek outing, and Unai Emery will be looking for a morale-boosting win. The idea of bowing out of the FA Cup at the hands of a Championship side may have unprecedented consequences for Emery, and he has the players to ensure Aston Villa win comfortably and move to the quarter-finals. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the home side.
