Stevenage manager Steve Evans is relishing the chance to visit “one of the Premier League’s iconic football clubs” when his team travel to Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

The League Two side set up a third-round clash with Villa after beating Gateshead and King’s Lynn in the previous rounds, and Evans is looking forward to their trip to Villa Park.

“It’s fantastic isn’t it? It’s one of the Premier League’s iconic football clubs,” Evans told a pre-match press conference.

“I’ve been before to Villa Park and taken teams there, there’ll be a tremendous crowd from both sides, with our big travelling support, so it’s a free shot for us, but we’re looking forward to it.”

Under Evans, Stevenage were steered to Football League safety last season and have turned into promotion hopefuls this year.

Their current run of form sees them second in the League Two table, just two points behind leaders Leyton Orient, but Evans is aware of the challenges Premier League opposition can pose.

“I think the manager (Unai Emery) there will select wisely, as he does, his track record in cup competitions is unbelievable,” Evans added.

“From that point of view we know they’ll be strong whatever team they pick, if they pick the bench from the Wolves game in midweek it’s full of really good Premier League players.

“So we’ll be very humble and respectful, but we’ll try and go there and hope that they perhaps don’t have the best of days.

“We think if we get the ball in the right areas we can cause them a problem or two, but we have to understand Aston Villa will largely have the ball and it’s what we do without the ball.

“When we do get the ball, we have to be keeping it, we have to be accurate and we have to be pointed.

“It’s a free shot for us, if it’s many goals to zero in Villa’s favour, everyone would expect it, but the FA Cup is what we know – on Saturday, Sunday, Monday there’ll be shocks and we have to hope and pray to the man above that we get the breaks with the ball and we’re one of them.”

The match also provides a welcome reunion for Evans with Villa goalkeeper and World Cup winner Emi Martinez.

The pair crossed paths in 2015 when Martinez was loaned to Rotherham, who Evans was managing at the time, and the Boro manager described the Argentine goalkeeper as “stunning”.

“I hope he’s got his World Cup medal to show me!” Evans joked.

“I think I’ve perhaps played less than a fingernail in his career, but probably an important part when you consider he was at a bit of a crossroads at Arsenal and he came to Rotherham in the Championship.

“He was stunning off the pitch and he was stunning on the pitch.

“I was certainly one of many who’s played a little part in his career who was so proud with everything he’d done at the World Cup, obviously ultimately being a World Cup champion.”