Aston Villa v Cardiff: FA Cup predictions, tips and best bets as Villans look to fend off tricky Bluebirds

Unai Emery’s men have endured a strange run of form. One week they beat Tottenham, the next they draw with Ipswich. Another week they beat Chelsea, the next they’re hammered by Crystal Palace.

Clearly, consistency is a big issue for the Villans who – in all fairness – are doing well to compete on three fronts.

Balancing domestic and European campaigns is no easy feat, but Emery’s men are certainly giving it a good go – even if they suffer a dodgy result here and there.

Cardiff City will be hoping to dish out one of those results on Friday when they travel to Villa Park. Question is, do they have enough quality to pull off an FA Cup surprise?

Good luck and please gamble responsibly.

(All odds are correct at the time of article publication)

 

Aston Villa v Cardiff City bet builder

Both teams to score – 6/5

Over 2.5 goals – 8/15

Marcus Rashford to score anytime – 19/20

Under 11.5 corners – 4/9

 

Both teams to score

Seven of Aston Villa’s last eight matches have seen both teams score, while the same was the case in seven of Cardiff’s last 10.

Both these sides have proved they can score and are clearly susceptible to conceding too.

With this perfect blend of goals and track records to go with it, we’re adding both teams to score at the top of our bet builder.

 

Over 2.5 goals

Speaking of goals, four of Aston Villa’s previous five outings have seen over 2.5 goals scored. For Cardiff its six of their last nine, including a rather shocking 7- 0 defeat to Leeds last month.

For the same reasons as above, we’re adding over 2.5 goals to our bet builder.

 

Marcus Rashford to score anytime

Marcus Rashford swapped Old Trafford for Villa Park in the search for the secret formula which could resurrect his declining career.

The former England international failed to score on his first five outings for the Villans, but he did bag a couple of assists against Chelsea last week.

Rashford is yet to play a full game, though the game against Cardiff could be his shot at getting serious minutes under his belt.

With the forward needing to make an impact and score some goals, we’re backing Rashford to take advantage of Cardiff’s leaky defence and get his name on the scoresheet.

 

Under 11.5 corners

Aston Villa’s last two matches failed to cross the 11.5 corner threshold and we’re backing that trend to continue.

While Villa are taking on Championship opposition, they are likely to field a somewhat weakened side which should make this into a closer than expected affair.

 

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