Aston Villa to treat Cardiff like 'best team in the world' as Unai Emery looks to avoid another FA Cup nightmare

Villa host the Bluebirds in a fifth round tie big favourites to progress with visiting boss Omer Riza intending to rest several key players and even admitting it might have been best had his team, currently fighting relegation from the Championship, gone out in an earlier round.

But Emery is paying little attention to his rival’s words, instead choosing to recall Villa’s embarrassing third round exit to League Two Stevenage two years ago.

Villa were beaten 2-1 in what was Emery’s sixth match in charge after replacing Steven Gerrard.

And he said: “We lost here against Stevenage two years ago and you must focus on each match, with the respect. 

“What does that mean? To play like you are playing against the best team in the world.

“Always you are trying to be consistent, that is the competitive way I want and the mentality I want to build here. If we are thinking it is going to be easy tomorrow, that is when we are starting to lose.”

Cardiff, 19th in the Championship, will be backed by more than 6,000 travelling fans but Riza says it is “not possible” for him to field his strongest XI due to a hectic fixture list which next sees them host Burnley on Tuesday night.

“I can understand him because the Championship is a very strong competition and they are more or less struggling and trying to escape off the bottom,” said Emery. “Maybe this competition is very demanding for them. 

“But I think tomorrow they will compete, trying to get a good result and trying to surprise us.

“We are going to respect them with what they have done in this competition with the players they have, with the analysis of them we have done.”

Emery is also looking for a response from Villa after they were beaten 4-1 at Crystal Palace on Tuesday night, a result which damaged their hopes of qualifying for Europe through the Premier League.

The FA Cup offers the chance to achieve the latter and also end the club’s near three decade long trophy drought but Emery has claimed they are “not yet contenders” to win it.

Emi Martinez, Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana and Donyell Malen are all fitness doubts. The latter has been struggling with illness.

Emery said: “I think we have a lot of challenges tomorrow, not only respecting Cardiff and the competition, it is how we are building the team and trying to create our structure tactically and mentally, stronger. 

“We have work to do and I think tomorrow is a very good opportunity to try and play, each player showing their wishes and respect for the competition. 

“For us and for me as well it is analysing them and trying to get through our tactical plan a lot of things we will need for the future.”