Aston Villa will attempt to avoid becoming the third team to suffer a surprise home defeat to Cardiff City in this season’s FA Cup when the teams meet in the fifth round on Friday (8pm GMT).
The second-lowest placed team left in the competition beat fellow Championship strugglers Stoke City in the fourth round, and their win at a Sheffield United side chasing automatic promotion from the second tier was even more impressive to reach that stage.
Villans manager Unai Emery and Bluebirds counterpart Omer Riza both said they did not expect to field full-strength line-ups because the Premier League side are four days from their Champions League last-16 first leg at Club Brugge, while Cardiff are keen to concentrate on extending their distance from the second-tier relegation zone.
101GreatGoals.com has you covered for the line-ups, team news and confirmed starting sides for Aston Villa vs Cardiff City in the FA Cup fifth round.
Villa Park 📍#CityAsOne | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/1a2AIo0grf
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) February 28, 2025
Villa lineup vs Cardiff City
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez starts after being a doubt for Villa, but defenders Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres and midfielder Amadou Onana are out injured, as is winger Donyell Malen through sickness.
Centre-back Pau Torres and playmaker Ross Barkley remain absent, and right-back Matty Cash was not declared fit after an assessment.
Aston Villa starting XI: Martinez, Garcia, Konsa, Bogarde, Maatsen, McGinn, Tielemans, Asensio, Bailey, Rashford, Watkins
The Boss 👋 pic.twitter.com/ROhdOf5hxR
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February 28, 2025
Cardiff lineup vs Aston Villa
A 1-0 home win over Hull City on Tuesday sent Cardiff six points above the Championship relegation zone, but a cautious Riza said it was “not possible” to field his strongest possible selection.
City top scorer Callum Robinson and attacker Anwar El Ghazi start against their former team. Goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, centre-back Jesper Daland, winger Ollie Tanner, captain Joe Ralls and midfielder Will Alves are out injured.
Cardiff starting XI: Horvath, Ng, Lawlor, Goutas, Fish, Giles, Ramsey, Colwill, Willock, El Ghazi, Robinson