FA CUP ROUND 3:Villa’s Lambert glad of cup diversion

BIRMINGHAM - Paul Lambert believes Aston Villa’s upcoming cup ties will ease the pressure on their Premier League worries.

Saturday, January 05, 2013

BIRMINGHAM - Paul Lambert believes Aston Villa’s upcoming cup ties will ease the pressure on their Premier League worries.Villa will take a break from their relegation concerns in the next five days with their FA Cup third-round tie with Ipswich Town, ahead of next week’s Capital One Cup semi-final first leg against Bradford City.The Villa manager is confident his side will benefit from the focus being shifted from their league problems - despite being under no illusions at the task facing his young side in the two knockout competitions.Lambert is eager to reach Wembley in the Capital One Cup, but is unlikely to field a weakened team against Mick McCarthy’s Championship side as he looks to build confidence ahead of returning to league action in ten days’ time."We are looking forward to the cup games now,” Lambert told the club’s official website. "There’s not the same pressure in the cups as there is in the league. We have two massive cup matches and we will try and get through."It will be really hard. It always is. The FA Cup is a prestigious competition. It will be a tough game.”