Aston Villa are focused on maintaining their excellent form as they head into FA Cup action.

The Midlands club are firmly in the race for a top four finish in the Premier League.

As they prepare for their first match of 2024, Bailey looked forward to the cup tie against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

“We're looking forward to the game; it's an important game for us," he told club media.

“It's the first game of the year and hopefully we can get the win that we need to move on to the next round.

“We're only focusing on winning the game."

He added: “This (the FA Cup) is very important for the club and us as players because we haven't advanced to the next round in quite some time.

“We really want to give it a go and all our thoughts are on the weekend against Middlesbrough.

“We want to play our style of football and hopefully win the game."

Bailey continued: “Cup games are always difficult, it doesn't matter who we play.

“It's important for us to maintain our level and show our quality."