Tim Sherwood has claimed that the pressure is on Arsenal to win the FA Cup and that Aston Villa will be seen as the underdogs as they bid to win their first major honour in 19 years.
Christian Benteke cancelled out a Phillipe Coutinho opener for Liverpool yesterday before England international and Villa captain Fabian Delph scored the winner early in the second half.
Sherwood said:
“We will be the underdog. The pressure will be on Arsenal. They are the holders. They want to win it again.”
Aston Villa have reached the FA Cup final for the first time in 15 years, when last they lost 1-0 to a Roberto Di Matteo goal for West London side Chelsea.
Sherwood will need to ensure his side are professional and keep concentration strictly on the Premier League, with survival not yet guaranteed.
The Englishman will certainly not allow his side to slip up mentally, with Wigan being an all too memorable example in recent years as Roberto Martinez managed his side to an FA Cup triumph over Manchester City, but could not ensure Premier League survival as Wigan were also relegated that same season.
On the rest of his sides remaining fixture, Sherwood said:
“We have a lot of hard work now. We put this on the back-burner.”
“We need to secure our safety and then come back here and take the game to Arsenal. Every time we play we do that.”
Aston Villa face Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday 25th April at the Etihad stadium, which will be a test as big as any for Sherwood’s men.
