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Tyrone Mings believes Aston Villa can upset the odds

Tyrone Mings believes the pressure is off Villa as they look to upset the odds by beating Manchester City in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.

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Villa lost both Premier League encounters against City this season by an aggregate score of 9-1, including a 6-1 home drubbing last month.

But Mings reckons those results have little bearing going into a one-off showdown at Wembley, where Villa are rank outsiders.

Dean Smith’s team already sprang a shock in getting to the final by beating Leicester over two legs.

“I don’t think too many people will be putting too much money on us winning. But we know what capabilities we have." Mings said, speaking to VillaTV.

“I just think it is a cup final. The whole game will be different, the occasion will be different. There are so many other factors that come into play.

“It is a one-game shoot-out and we are excited and confident of knowing anything can happen on the day.

“It could be one decision, or going ahead and having something to hold onto. Giving a better account of ourselves than we have done previously (against Manchester City) is the biggest thing we want to show.”

City are aiming to win the Carabao Cup for the third season running and collect the first piece of a potential cup treble this season.

Mings and Villa’s defence will be tasked with stopping a forward line spearheaded by Sergio Aguero.

He said: “There will be a fair amount of defending, I am sure. But I think by the time it gets to the strikers, strikers v defence, it is a little but last-chance saloon anyway.

“We probably need to try and stop them higher up the pitch and stop the supply line into the strikers. Obviously they have deadly players all over the pitch and it is easy to sit here and say how we are going to stop them than actually going and doing it.

“They have players who can come off the bench and hurt you as well, we are fully aware of what they are about.

“At the same time we have things which can hurt them and qualities in our team which can hopefully be just as influential on the day.”