Focus shifts to FA Cup on Sunday for Aston Villa | OneFootball

The international break was better for fans than many expected, especially for the Aston Villa players. Those called up have returned from their home country duties, and the rest are back from their Dubai trip, ready to finish out the season.

Immediately in line is the upcoming FA Cup match against Preston North End. Having defeated Cardiff City in the fifth round, Unai Emery will now look to guide his side into the semifinals. The path to silverware is less crowded, with only Manchester City, AFC Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Nottingham Forest, Fulham, and Crystal Palace being the other remaining teams in the competition.

It's known what can happen in a knockout tournament, and certainly any team could pull out a win streak here. That being said, this is clearly Villa's best path to winning a trophy this year and could be one of the better opportunities in the immediate future.

A lot can change from season to season. Already being in the latter stages without Arsenal or Liverpool bodes well for the side's chances. To date, it has been largely a successful campaign for AVFC. Granted, they currently sit in ninth place in the Premier League, but the gap is small enough to qualify for Europe for the 2025/2026 season still.

Final stretch for Aston Villa

More importantly, fans can see a successful plan and approach, giving legitimate reason for optimism that Emery's men will be able to compete in multiple competitions moving forward. The players can feel proud of their efforts so far. The Spaniard, however, will insist on and continue to instill the needed hunger to improve and fine-tune various aspects on the pitch.