Marcus Rashford has looked bright in his brief cameos for Aston Villa so far. He’s set to get his 2nd start for Aston Villa after starting against Liverpool in the Premier League a few weeks ago - a game in which he had a shot on target. Rashford also came off the bench in Aston Villa’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich to take 4 shots with 1 finding the target. He should be able to find joy playing off the left and cutting inside to take aim against a Cardiff side that are averaging 4.11 shots on target per game conceded in the Championship this campaign. Villa should be able to raise this average given the attacking quality and depth they have at their disposal. Rashford’s promising form in a Villa shirt continued with 2 assists from the bench in their recent win over Chelsea. With this being Aston Villa’s 5th game in under 2 weeks we can expect Unai Emery to rotate his side and give Rashford a full 90 minutes to find the target at least once in this encounter which looks likely given his performances in a Villa shirt so far.

Bogarde was deployed as the left sided centre back in a back 3 in Aston Villa’s crushing 4-1 defeat to Crystal Palace last time out. Bogarde was hauled down twice in that game and usually wins fouls wherever he plays, Unai Emery has played him as a centre back, right back and in midfield this season. His press resistance makes him a particularly promising young player, he was more than comfortable in midfield in Aston Villa’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal a few weeks ago - a game in which he was fouled once after coming on in the first half following an injury to Amadou Onana. Bogarde has won 11 fouls across just 475 minutes of Premier League football this season (2.08 per 90), a record that reflects his ability to draw fouls at a consistent rate regardless of what position he lines up in. He’ll be up against a Cardiff side that are averaging 11.8 fouls committed per 90 in the Championship this season and committed 18 fouls against Stoke in the last round of the cup.

Cardiff could really pose an attacking threat to Aston Villa who have struggled to keep opposition sides out all season - only the 3 promoted sides have kept fewer clean sheets than Aston Villa have in the Premier League this season (3). This lack of defensive consistency has naturally meant that Emiliano Martinez has been tested at a consistent rate, he’s averaging 2.70 saves per game in the Premier League this season but Robin Olsen could end up being drafted in for this game which will further unnerve a shaky Villa backline. Cardiff have drawn 2+ saves from the opposition goalkeeper in 27 of their 34 Championship games this season (79%). This record matches up with their promising shot average in the 2nd division this campaign, the Bluebirds are averaging 12.0 shots per game. Cardiff drew 7 saves from Jack Bonham in the Stoke City net in their 3-3 draw in the previous round of the cup. Despite the increase in quality of their opposition here, Cardiff should be able to take advantage of Villa’s defensive inconsistencies which should be worsened by rotation with Villa playing their 5th game in under 2 weeks.

Aston Villa can be expected to have the majority of the ball and control this game given the superior quality and depth they have at their disposal. This should result in Villa winning the corner count as a result of sustained attacking pressure and their promising corner numbers at Villa Park this season. Aston Villa are averaging 7.73 corners per game at home in the Premier League this season to the opposition's 3.27. This disparity is made more promising when considering that Cardiff are only managing to register 3.53 corners per game across their 17 away assignments in the Championship this term. The disparity between these sides should be most obvious in the corner count, Villa are heavy favourites but even if this doesn’t translate into Unai Emery’s side managing to navigate their way through the tie, they should still dominate the corner battle with Cardiff unlikely to have large periods of attacking pressure in the Villa half and instead get their joy from counter-attacks. This should result in Villa winning the corner count in both halves.

This could be a really entertaining Friday night FA Cup tie. Both sides saw over 2.5 goals in the last round of the cup with Aston Villa coming out 2-1 winners over Tottenham whilst Cardiff saw 6 goals in their 3-3 draw with Stoke, managing to come through following a penalty shoot-out. Aston Villa’s defensive inconsistency this season has been costing them in the Premier League, Unai Emery’s side have only managed to keep 3 clean sheets in the English top-flight this season, only Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton have managed fewer clean slates than Villa. This should encourage a Cardiff side who will certainly give Aston Villa issues at the back, the Bluebirds are averaging 12.0 shots per game in the Championship this season - a respectable total for a side that have been battling at the bottom of the Championship for the majority of the season. Aston Villa have seen over 2.5 goals in 4 of their last 5 games across all competitions whilst Cardiff have seen over this line in 2 of their last 5, but should see a rise here against Premier League opposition that they’ll do well to keep out. Though they will still carry a threat themselves having found the back of the net at least once in each of their last 5 games across all competitions.

Cardiff are averaging 11.8 fouls committed per game in the Championship this season, a total just shy of the total we require here but Aston Villa’s ability to win fouls coupled with their superior technical ability should see this line rise slightly at Villa Park. Aston Villa have drawn 10+ fouls from the opposition in 24 of their 28 Premier League games this season (85%), Unai Emery’s side is made up of some really talented players that are excellent in tight areas and will be that little bit quicker in their movements than this Cardiff side which should see the Bluebirds struggle to stop Aston Villa without bringing their players to the ground. Cardiff showed their competitive and physical side in their 3-3 draw with Stoke in the last round of the cup. Omer Riza’s side committed 18 fouls in the game and can exceed their average in the Championship again here against a technically superior Aston Villa side.

Colwill stands out as a potential threat to this Aston Villa side, he’s averaging 2.17 shots per 90 in the Championship this season and usually lines up on the left hand side of a front 3 or just behind the striker. He played in the number 10 role in Cardiff’s 3-3 draw with Stoke in the last round of the cup in which they progressed through to the next round on penalties. He had 6 shots in the game which resulted in 2 goals for the talented 22-year-old. Cardiff should have opportunities here, the Bluebirds are averaging 12.0 shots per game in the Championship this season and managed 23 shots in that previous tie against Stoke. Whilst their shot margin is unlikely to be as high here against Premier League opposition, they should have enough attacking quality to test Villa on a few occasions when they can break forward with Colwill well placed to have a few efforts at goal.

No Cardiff player has been cautioned more often than Perry Ng this season (9). The 28-year-old plays across the backline, usually lining up as a centre back or a right back. He’s averaging 1.15 fouls committed per 90 across his 27 Championship appearances this season and has picked up 2 yellow cards across his last 5 starts in the 2nd division. Cardiff committed 18 fouls and picked up 3 yellow cards in their last FA Cup game against Stoke City which went all the way to penalties. He should be regularly tested here by an Aston Villa side that have drawn 10+ fouls from the opposition in 24 of their 28 Premier League games this campaign, also managing to draw 2+ cards from their opponents in 82% of their games in the Premier League this season.