Lee Dixon: Lack of old heads in Villa side can play into Bradford's hands

Nahki Wells is Bradford City's danger man

With Aston Villa needing to attack we should see an exciting game in the second leg of this Carling Cup semi-final says Lee Dixon, but who does our man believe will triumph?

Aston Villa v Bradford
Tuesday, 19:45, live on Sky Sports 1

This is a pressure fixture for both sides, but for two very different reasons.

For Aston Villa, the huge embarrassment of going out to League Two opposition over two legs would cap what has been a tough season so far, and it certainly won't go down well with the Villa Park faithful.

For Bradford the need not to be overawed with Wembley in their sights. The Bantams must put in a professional performance, and if they do that then they have a fantastic chance of converting their 3-1 first leg lead into a cup final appearance (they are available to back at 1.845/6 in the To Qualify market).

Villa's need to score, not one but at least two, should ensure we witness an entertaining game. The home side must attack and that will leave opportunities for Bradford to hit them on the counter. Nahki Wells showed his quality in the first leg and is a huge danger to Paul Lambert's men. A total of 17 goals already this season - albeit at a lower level - shows that he has ability.

Of course, Villa don't lack danger themselves, after all they are a Premier League outfit. But what they do lack is a stable defence and I feel that will be their downfall here.

Let us not forget, Bradford scored against Premier League opposition (Arsenal) in the previous round too, so Phil Parkinson's men should back themselves to beat whoever lines up in goal for Villa. They will need to score however as the home side will most certainly score, and the player I fancy to get on the scoresheet is Andreas Weimann.

The young Austrian has been one of Villa's shining lights in a poor season to date. The two goals he scored against Manchester United along with the smart finish against Liverpool show he has a natural finisher's instinct in front of goal, and he doesn't go hiding in the big games.

But including Weimann, Villa have too much youth in their side. An old head or two would help the team stay cool when the pressure mounts, and attempting to overturn a 1-3 deficit in front of an expectant home crowd will bring too much pressure for Villa to go through.

Recommended Bets

Back Both teams to Score @ 1.824/5
Back Bradford To Qualify @ 1.845/6
Back Andreas Weiman To Score @ 2.47/5 or higher