Aston Villa vs Cardiff City: Two picks for Friday's FA Cup offering

The weekend's FA Cup action kicks off with Aston Villa hosting Championship side Cardiff City on Friday evening.

Our tipster Brad Walker (@brad_TWalker) has combed over the fixture and picked out two betting tips ahead of kick-off in the Midlands.

Aston Villa vs Cardiff analysis - Anything other than a home win a shock

Hosts Aston Villa were enduring a four-match unbeaten run until they ran into Crystal Palace on Tuesday night. A Morgan Rogers equaliser left them in a strong position to kick on and chase all three points, only for the Eagles to score three more en route to a shock 4-1 win. 

The result continues a worrying pattern for Unai Emery, who has seen his side lose each of their last three away matches in all competitions. Thankfully for the Spaniard, Villa return to their own patch for this one, where they're unbeaten in their last 14. 

The run makes for an ominous read for those connected to Cardiff, whose penalty shootout victory over Stoke in the previous round remains their only win on the road in their last five. 

In fact, only five Championship sides have fared worse in away fixtures than the Bluebirds this season. Omer Riza's men have picked up just one win on their travels in the second division, yet both of their wins in the FA Cup have been on away soil this term.

Aston Villa will be grateful to return to Villa Park after a 4-1 drubbing at Crystal Palace on Tuesday. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Best bets for Aston Villa vs Cardiff on Friday, February 28, 2025

Selection #1 - Aston Villa to win & BTTS - 19/10

Backing the Villa win is hardly the most eyebrow-raising pick given everything outlined above. Yet, for all of their success at home this season, keeping clean sheets has proved a real problem for the west Midlanders. 

Emery's crop have just two to their name from 15 league matches. Villa also conceded in recent FA Cup victories over West Ham and Tottenham at Villa Park before ultimately proceeding to the next round. 

Cardiff have also found the net in 12 of their 17 away outings in the Championship, as well as the four goals they've mustered on the road in the cup across the first two rounds. 

The quality undoubtedly lies with the home side, but expect the visitors to at least land a glove on their Premier League counterparts before the 90 minutes are up.

Selection #2 - Perry Ng (Cardiff) to be shown a card - 10/3

Only 12 Championship players have received more cautions this season than Ng, quite the statistic considering the league is made up of 24 teams. 

The English defender has already been shown a card on nine separate occasions and is one of the standout candidates to go in the referee's book on Friday evening. 

Ng has averaged a tasty 2.3 tackles in the second division so far and could be up against an in-form Marcus Rashford whose tail is up. 

With Cardiff expected to be under the cosh for large spells in this one, backing another Ng booking could prove an incredibly astute pick. 

Brad Walker's best bets for Aston Villa vs Cardiff