It wasn’t just that Aston Villa lost to Crystal Palace, it was also the manner in which it happened. The 4-1 score line said it all, with the South London side exposing some holes that Cardiff City FC might be able to exploit on Friday night. Then again, Cardiff City is in danger of being relegated out of the Championship right now. The Welsh club could be destined for League One next season, and that fact just emphasizes the gulf in quality between these two clubs.
FA Cup 5th Round FYIs
Aston Villa vs Cardiff City
Kickoff: Fri. Feb. 28, 8pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Aston Villa Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Fun Fact: Aston Villa are undefeated in their last 15, across all competitions, at home against Cardiff City (W13D2 including wins in the last seven)
So with that in mind, you can expect Unai Emery to do some squad rotation in this match. Not a ton of rotation, as this is an elimination cup match, but some.
So here is our lineup prediction, in a 3-4-3 format.
Aston Villa Starting XI Prediction vs Cardiff City
Robin Olsen, Andres Garcia, Axel Disasi, Ian Maatsen; Leon Bailey, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey; Donyell Malen, Marco Asensio, Marcus Rashford
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.