Aston Villa present the next challenge in Carlo Ancelotti’s quest to guide Chelsea to a first ever Double, with Martin O’Neil’s team hoping to ease the pain of losing the Carling Cup final in February to Manchester United by progression to the FA Cup showpiece next month. It will be tough: just two games ago a rampant Chelsea routed Villa 7-1 at Stamford Bridge, and the Londoners then beat Manchester United 2-1 to take control of the title race. Chelsea, the holders, also won this competition three years ago through an extra-time goal from Didier Drogba. Ancelotti rested the striker against United; expect him to start. Jamie Jackson

Venue Wembley Stadium, Saturday 5pm

Tickets Sold out

Previous meetings Aston Villa wins 55 Chelsea wins 52 Draws 32

Referee H Webb

This season’s league matches 24 Y92, R3, 3.96 cards per game

Odds Aston Villa 5-1 Chelsea 8-13 Draw 3-1

Aston Villa

Subs from Guzan, L Young, Beye, Davies, Sidwell, Delph, Heskey, Delfouneso, Albrighton, Salifou, Clark

Doubtful Dunne (achilles), Milner (achilles)

Injured Reo-Coker (ankle, 25 Apr), Harewood (foot, Aug), Bouma (ankle, unknown)

Suspended None

Form guide (all comps) WLDDWD

Disciplinary record Y70 R2

Leading scorers Agbonlahor, Carew 14

Chelsea

Subs from Hilário, Turnbull, Van Aanholt, Belletti, Bruma, Sturridge, Kakuta, Borini, Ivanovic, Kalou, Ballack, Matic, Anelka

Doubtful Hilário (groin), Ivanovic (knee)

Injured A Cole (ankle, 25 Apr), Carvalho (ankle, May), Essien (knee, May), Bosingwa (knee, Aug)

Suspended None

Form guide (all comps) WWWDLW

Disciplinary record Y69 R5

Leading scorer Drogba 31

Match pointers

• This is only the third time in 60 years that Aston Villa have reached the FA Cup semi-finals

• Chelsea have lost one of their last 13 meetings with Villa in all competitions

• Villa have kept one clean sheet in their last 14 FA Cup matches

• Chelsea have scored at least twice in each of their last 10 FA Cup outings while Villa have averaged three goals a game in this season’s competition

• John Carew is the leading scorer in the FA Cup this season with six goals

FA CupAston VillaChelseaguardian.co.uk

• ‘The truth is that it doesn’t stand up,’ says O’Neill
• Aston Villa still harbour hopes of top-four finish

Martin O’Neill has attacked John Terry for making a “pretty idle comment” after the England international claimed that Chelsea knew Aston Villa’s players would run out of energy in the final half-hour of last Saturday’s mauling at Stamford Bridge.

Terry, who made the observation after Chelsea had thumped Villa 7-1, implied that O’Neill’s side suffer from fatigue and have a habit of fading in matches. “We knew Villa would tire after 55-60 minutes and that if we kept passing the ball, spaces would appear and chances would come,” the Chelsea captain said.

The remark has gone down badly at Villa and has upset O’Neill in particular, who strongly disputed Terry’s suggestion and pointed to recent performances as well as statistics gathered from the match analyst system that the club use as evidence that his players are among the fittest in the Premier League.

“The truth is that it doesn’t stand up,” O’Neill said. “In the previous game against Sunderland we were pressing. And we scored in the 82nd minute against Wolves [in the 2-2 draw the game before]. It just doesn’t stack up. My own view is that it’s a pretty idle comment. It’s the sort of comment you can make when you have won a game pretty convincingly.”

The rout at Chelsea should provide Villa with plenty of motivation ahead of the semi-final between the two clubs at Wembley a week today and it also seems inevitable that Terry’s comments will be pinned up. “You’d hope that sort of comment wouldn’t come back to haunt him,” O’Neill added.

“I don’t accept it. If people are interested in statistics – and you can prove anything you want with them – there’s only one major consideration and that’s the result. That’s what you are judged on. If you are looking at the stats, we do them all the time. Interestingly, we are one of the fittest sides in the Premier League.”

Villa travel to Bolton Wanderers this afternoon looking to bury the memory of their heaviest top-flight defeat since 1986 and keep alive their faint hopes of finishing in the top four. “I will lift the players [at Bolton] because that is my job,” said O’Neill. “That is what I have been doing since I’ve been in management. Hopefully that is what I am decent at. I cannot guarantee we will win the game, but I can guarantee that the team will be very positive.”

Bolton’s manager Owen Coyle is wary of Villa: “At the end of the day what Aston Villa have at their disposal is quality, and they have it in strength and depth,” said Coyle. “So I know whoever pulls on that Villa shirt tomorrow will be a quality player. As for any kind of backlash, no, I’m not worried about that at all because Villa will be motivated to win the game anyway.”

Aston VillaMartin O’NeillChelseaJohn TerryPremier LeagueStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk