In this article…
Aston Villa v Cardiff
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Kick Off: Friday 28th February at 20:00
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Competition: FA Cup
Aston Villa welcome Cardiff to Villa Park to kick off the FA Cup weekend. Unai Emery will be hoping for a reaction from his side following their 4-1 loss to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last time out following positive results against Liverpool and Chelsea on home ground. Villa progressed to this round with a 2-1 win over Tottenham at home.
The FA Cup will be a welcome distraction for Cardiff who will still be wary of the threat of relegation looming with just a six-point gap between themselves and Plymouth. That buffer is not really an indicator of security in a league like the Championship, especially when considering the fact that Cardiff have only won one of their last five games – that win was a crucial one though and came last time out over fellow relegation candidates Hull City. Cardiff saw off Stoke on penalties to reach this stage of the competition.
⭐ Aston Villa v Cardiff Best Bet
Cardiff won’t get many opportunities to hurt Aston Villa here but Colwill stands out as a player that can cause the Villa backline problems. Colwill has had 48 shots across his 31 Championship appearances this season (2.17 per 90). He often features for Cardiff as part of a front three, from the left with his shots coming from cutting inside or he plays just behind the striker with his shots coming from central areas, usually from distance.
Colwill played just behind the striker in Cardiff’s entertaining tie with Stoke in the last round with the 22-year-old scoring twice and having six shots overall in the encounter. He was a constant threat throughout the game with Cardiff having 23 shots in the game. This shows that Omer Riza’s side won’t be afraid to commit players forward and make a game of this tie which is heavily weighted in Aston Villa’s favour.
Cardiff’s shot numbers are actually quite promising for a team battling towards the bottom of the Championship table. The Bluebirds are averaging 12.0 shots per game in the Championship this campaign which shows that they like to go at teams, even if it means giving up space and opportunities at the back. Colwill should be able to match his promising shot average in the Championship here, even up against superior opposition.
🟢 Aston Villa v Cardiff ABC Exclusive Boost
Cardiff are averaging 12.0 shots per game in the Championship this season, whilst this game does present a tougher challenge for the Bluebirds than their usual assignments in the Championship, Cardiff have shown that they will be willing to have a go in these cup ties, especially coming off the back of a morale-boosting win against fellow relegation candidates Hull City. Cardiff have managed 8+ shots in each of their last five games across all competitions including having 23 shots against Stoke in the previous round of the cup.
Aston Villa are averaging 7.73 corners per game at Villa Park in the Premier League this season, contrasted by the opposition managing just 3.27 corners per game when they make the trip to Birmingham. Cardiff are averaging just 3.53 corners per game across their away trips in the Championship this season with their opponents managing 5.53 corners per game. We can expect Aston Villa to control the game and win the corner battle as a result of sustained attacking pressure.
Cardiff are averaging 11.8 fouls committed per game in the Championship this campaign, a total that could rise here against Unai Emery’s side who are very good at winning fouls from the opposition. Villa have drawn 10+ fouls from the opposition in 24 of their 28 Premier League matches this season (85%). Cardiff committed 18 fouls to Stoke’s 10 in the last round of the cup.
👕 Aston Villa v Cardiff Predicted XI
🔍 Aston Villa v Cardiff Players to Watch
🟣 Lamar Bogarde
It’s fair to say that Unai Emery’s experiment against Crystal Palace midweek was unsuccessful. The Villa boss set up his side to match the 3-4-3 shape preferred by Oliver Glasner but the back three struggled to deal with the movement and speed of the Palace frontline which saw them fire four goals past a flailing Villa defence.
Bogarde lined up on the left of a back three in that game and was fouled twice. He’s a very versatile player and has been used by Unai Emery as a right back, centre back and in midfield – he tends to win fouls wherever he plays. Bogarde has won 11 fouls across just 475 minutes of Premier League football this campaign (2.08 per 90).
🔵 Perry Ng
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 two yellow cards across his last five starts in the second division. Cardiff committed 18 fouls and picked up three yellow cards in their last FA Cup game against Stoke City which went all the way to penalties.
📂 Aston Villa v Cardiff Cheat Sheet
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💻 Aston Villa v Cardiff Form and Tactics
Unai Emery often tweaks his approach to anticipate the plan of the opposition. He attempted this in Aston Villa’s 4-1 defeat to Crystal Palace last time out with Villa lining up with a back three for only the second time this season. This decision was likely motivated by the absences Villa are contending with at centre back but it resulted in Villa being unable to get a foothold in the game and ultimately being on the end of a hiding from an excellent Crystal Palace side.
Villa are likely to return to their familiar 4-2-3-1 shape with the attacking players given licence to be fluid against inferior opposition. It’s likely that Emery opts for the likes of Rashford, Malen, and Asensio who have all shown promise but Emery seems to prefer the likes of Ramsey and Rogers in behind Watkins with that particular pairing more comfortable with the tactical demands imposed by Emery on his attacking players. Villa’s attacking options have been revolutionised by the January transfer window, giving them greater depth and a wider variety of options to change games when it isn’t going to plan.
Cardiff enter this FA Cup tie on the back of a morale-boosting 1-0 win against fellow relegation candidates Hull City. The victory moved the Bluebirds six points clear of the drop zone which will provide some much-needed relief to Omer Riza and now they can focus their attention on this FA Cup tie against an Aston Villa side that will be playing their fifth game in the space of just 13 days so there is likely to be fatigue and rotation in the Villa camp which can offer Cardiff a small glimmer of hope of progressing through this tie.
Cardiff qualified for this round following a penalty shootout against fellow Championship side Stoke City. The game finished 3-3 after extra time with Cardiff having 23 shots in the game, indicating that they won’t be afraid to go after Villa in this cup tie, despite the obvious gap between the sides when it comes to individual player quality. Cardiff should line up in a 4-2-3-1 shape but they have gone with a 3-4-3 in certain games which could be the preferred option here just to give that added defensive solidity against Premier League opposition.
🏁 Aston Villa v Cardiff Ref Watch
- Referee – Peter Bankes.
| Average Cards (Y / R) | 4.10 / 0.10 |
| Fouls Given | 19.19 |
| Penalties | 0.24 |
📺 How to Watch Aston Villa v Cardiff in the FA Cup
📅 When is Aston Villa v Cardiff? / Friday, 28th February 2025, 20:00
🏟 Where is Aston Villa v Cardiff? / Villa Park (Birmingham)
📺 What TV Channel is Aston Villa v Cardiff on? / ITV1
🟨 …And who is the referee for Aston Villa v Cardiff? / Peter Bankes 🏴
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