Unai Emery says Aston Villa are contenders to win the FA Cup after progressing to the quarter-finals for the first time in a decade, but doesn’t believe they should be considered as a favourite. A Marco Asensio second-half double saw off Championship side Cardiff, who had defended manfully before conceding for the first time on 67 minutes.

Emery confirmed Pau Torres and Ross Barkley both remain out through injury, while Matty Cash is close and will be assessed on Thursday. Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Martinez, Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara and Donyell Malen are also all doubts for the game.

Unai Emery has admitted he does not know the reason behind Aston Villa’s ongoing injury struggles this season. Villa have now had a player substituted in the first half due to injury in each of their last five games and eight of the last 11,