FA Cup: Aston Villa vs. Cardiff Odds, Preview, and Picks (Feb 28)

The fifth-round weekend in the FA Cup kicks off in the West Midlands on Friday, as Aston Villa bid to secure their passage through to the quarterfinals when they host Championship side Cardiff City.

How To Watch

• When: Friday, February 28, 2025, at 3:00 PM ET
• Where: Villa Park, Birmingham, England
• How To Watch: ESPN

Odds

Match Preview

Unai Emery could mark the significant improvement that he has made since arriving at Aston Villa by leading the club to a first major trophy since the 1990s.

The Villa ensured their progression to this stage of the competition following a fine home win against Tottenham. Cardiff will be the major outsiders in the betting at Villa Park on Friday, but they did upset the odds in the previous round after knocking out Stoke City following a penalty shootout.

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This will be the fourth meeting between Villa and Cardiff in the FA Cup, with the Bluebirds holding the narrow 2-1 overall advantage. Villa’s only cup win over the Welsh side was achieved in the third round in 1928-29.

However, Villa hold a 15-match unbeaten record against Cardiff across all competitions. Furthermore, the team from the West Midlands has recorded victories in each of the last seven. Cardiff haven’t won away from home against Villa since December 1954.

This is Villa’s first appearance at this stage of the competition since reaching the 2014-15 final. Meanwhile, Cardiff will be playing in the fifth round for the first time since 2013-14. The Bluebirds have been eliminated at this stage in nine of their previous eleven ties.

Aston Villa vs. Cardiff Picks

Villa look very challenging to oppose this weekend. Cardiff have suffered eliminations in their last eight ties against Premier League opposition, while they haven’t won against an EPL team on the road while playing in the second tier since 2007-08.

Free Pick:

• Aston Villa