Former top flight star Sammy McIlroy is of the view that it will be hard for the Aston Villa players to focus on the game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, due to the EFL Cup final.
Aston Villa are 17th in the Premier League table and are just a point away from the dreaded relegation zone at the moment.
They will host Tottenham at Villa Park on Sunday as they look for what would be a key win in their battle against the drop.
However, the EFL Cup final is looming for Aston Villa on 1st March and Manchester United legend McIlroy thinks it will be a distraction for Dean Smith's men.
He insisted that Aston Villa boss Smith must make sure that he stresses the importance of the Spurs game to his players despite the cup final being on the horizon.
McIlroy said on MUTV: “Villa are in the League Cup final, but they are fighting for their lives as well.
“The manager there has got to get the players together and say we need to get results and get something from this game.
“They have to try to get the cup final out of their head, which is hard for a player, but that is an important game for Villa and Spurs.”
However, he conceded that every player will want to play in the cup final and it is hard for them to focus on the Spurs game due to the trip to Wembley next weekend.
“No matter what, a player wants to play at Wembley.
“Some of the Villa players will have their eye on that.”
McIlroy's former club Manchester United will be hoping for Aston Villa to take points from their top four rivals Tottenham.
