2-0

**What is the latest on the team news?**

“We will train this afternoon and we will watch on the field how the players are, without risk and pain to be available for tomorrow.

“Pau Torres is still injured. Matty Cash is close, but we will see. Mings is a doubt. Martinez is a doubt. Barkley not for tomorrow. Onana and Kamara are close to coming back. Malen is sick, but hopefully he can recover for tomorrow.”

**How important is the FA Cup for Villa this season?**

“It’s a way for a trophy and it’s a way for Europe. The winner is playing next year in the Europa League.

“We have three ways [to get into Europe]: Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. We are not contenders in FA Cup to win this trophy.

“To try to compete in this competition and to have a way for a trophy is very important. And then prestige. Every player, the club, the coaches – everybody would like one way trying to get prestige as well.”

**How do you rate your side's performance in this competition so far?**

“We are being consistent in this competition this year. At home against West Ham and Tottenham we played a great two matches and we won.

“Tomorrow is another opportunity to keep being consistent. Our demands are in different ways, individually and collectively, to get confidence, get comfortable, try to transmit to our supporters our wishes in this competition.

“We are not contenders, but in case we can continue in this competition we are going to be closer to competing for something important.”

**How difficult is it to balance each competition?**

“We’re focusing on every competition, focusing on each match and how the players are recovering after playing a lot of minutes. We’re looking at how we can adapt the new players in our structure.

“Our focus every day is to prepare for each match and how we can create and build again our structure tactically, trying to get comfortable with the players in their position in our structure.

“This is the task we have now. We’re playing matches, but hopefully we can play a lot of matches this season and next year as well.”

**How important is it to respect Cardiff despite their position in the Championship?**

“Firstly, we have respect for the competition. Secondly, we respect every team that is competing in this round.

“Of course, Cardiff is a Championship team, but we have our own experiences two years ago with Stevenage for example. We weren’t being successful last year and two years ago.

“We are playing at home in Villa Park and we have to feel strong. To be consistent is our challenge.

“Through the respect of the competition and the opposing teams, we will start being consistent and then building our team again with our new players and some tactical changes to help our players feel comfortable in our structure – that’s the first objective I have.

“Through it, we can play better and be consistent. Tomorrow, this is our challenge, individually and collectively, in this competition, the FA Cup, respecting the opponent and trying to build our structure as strong as possible with the opportunity we have tomorrow.”

Unai Emery pre-match.



“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.

“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.

“We lost here against Stevenage two years ago and you must focus on each match, with 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.

“Of course, respect, show our wishes to win, play trying to get confidence and a good feeling in this competition with our supporters.

“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.”

Unai Emery on Omer Riza’s claim to intend to play a weakened team against Villa.



"There are a lot of things, small details we have to try to continue working on and we are doing it.

"The mentality is to be consistent, to be demanding every day, to play each match with the same wishes, the same energy, being very demanding and respectful for the opponent in every action on the field.

"There are a lot of things. Mentlaity is a lot of things in one way that we have to try to add.

"Football is very difficult. When we are winning of course sometimes we forget some tasks we have to do every day because sometimes when you are winning you feel invincible.

"Sometimes then some results come which show the reality, the difficulties you have. This is the mentality: understand every day and be focused on the difficulties you can face.

"They are coming now a lot of matches: tomorrow Cardiff, Brugge, Brentford. We will show again how we can react."

Unai Emery on Villa’s inconsistent form.



"[We] have to be confident but always respecting the opponent and we were trying to dominate.

"The most important was try to be passionate, don't concede transitions of their attacking moment and we did it. Then progressing we had chances. We weren't clinical but the second half after we scored the first goal I think we were thinking OK, our work was going well.

"It's important for the team, it's important as well for the players individually to get their individual target as well and two goals. He's [Marco Asensio] adapting fantastic, as well [Marcus] Rashford. We will need them for the next matches and the challenges we have.

"We are thinking for the next match. We are in [a] quarter-final, we are happy. We know the difficulties we are going to face but enjoy each moment and today, here with our supporters, we are here performing at home very well and the cup is very important for the club, for the supporters, for ourselves but as well it is a way for a trophy.

"The players performed fantastic. At home with our football we are comfortable. We respected the opponent.

"We were creating chances but not clinical. The second half was still difficult to beat them. We scored one goal. After that it was more easy to dominate and try to score a second goal to finish the match.

"We have our experiences last year in Europe. Today playing against a Championship team, being better than them, trying to respect them because you can lose a match even if you're better than the opponent.

"Numbers for the team and for him [Marco Asensio] as well. We need him. We need Rashford. We need the players who joined in the last window. We need the players coming back from injury. Every player will be necessary for the matches in the next weeks and months.

"Now we focus on the Champions League. We are there and we have to enjoy it and compete. We are going to play Brentford next week. It's a tough week but excited for us and supporters.

"We are not considered favourites to win this trophy. We are contenders but not favourites."

Unai Emery post match


"We are really happy. It was not an easy game. We knew it was a difficult game. [I'm] very happy for the goals, for the win. we're in the next round, that's the most important

"I'm very happy with the teammates, with the staff, they give me a lot of confidence, so I try to do my best on the pitch and it's going well and I want to score more to give more to this team, to this club and this is my objective.

"Marcus [Rashford] is a top player. We are together not so much but I know what he wants to do, where he passes and I am very happy to have Marcus and all of the teammates.

"We have to keep pushing, we are in the right way. Next step is Champions League and now the focus is there."

Marco Asensio post match


**That was a professional performance from your side...**

"Yes, very well. Everything we planned before was in 90 minutes with the passion we showed with the process we did in 90 minutes, controlling the game, keeping possession, trying to avoid them getting in our box and threatening us, and didn't concede corners.

"We were feeling comfortable and feeling confidence to do 90 minutes in the way we did. The second half, more or less, when we scored the first goal it was the opening to the victory we had.

"We respected the competition and opponent, trying to use the match to add more minutes and confidence in the structure with the new players and some tactical changes. Today the match was very very good for some information I can have through it. As well, winning the match."

**How impressed have you been by Asensio and Rashford?**

"Each one playing in his position trying to feel comfortable and the players understanding as well where is the space to use with them. As well, to try to overcome the difficulties with the opponent. Individually, I am very happy with how we played and how they are adapting to us."

**The FA Cup feels like a big opportunity after some other big clubs were knocked out?**

"Yes we are in the quarter final and one step forward in this competition, which we didn’t do in the last two years here but still some teams who are more favourite than us, like Man City, Man United, Newcastle. Of course, other teams.

"But we know this competition is a way for a trophy, Wembley and the Europa League and it’s prestigious for the club. Supporters are excited and motivated to share this with us and we are motivated to try to share our way with the supporters."

**Asensio has now scored two braces in as many home matches...**

"He’s adapting very well and has a very good opportunity with us here to play as a number 10 and he was always feeling comfortable in this position.

"When we spoke to him, even before he went to Paris, we spoke with him as well to try to get a challenge here for him in the Premier League and as a number 10 in our structure.

"He decided in the last transfer window to join us because we planned with him to play in his best position.

"He is showing his wishes to try to add to us his qualities and his possibility to link through him our midfield, striker, wingers. He has the capacity to score goals in the box like he did today.

"It is fantastic. Malen was sick today, but he was helping us as well. Rashford is progressively getting better. Andres Garcia as well, getting better and the performance of Lamare Bogarde was fantastic.

"I am happy with players who joined us in the last window and with some who were not playing with consistency. How they are responding and helping us now."

Unai Emery post match.