Aston Villa Lose 3-0 to Their Own Under-21 Team in Behind-Closed-Doors Friendly

Aston Villa sit bottom of the Premier League, eight points from safety, and crashed out of the FA Cup in the fourth round at home to Manchester City.

So with the return of the cup providing a rare weekend off, manager Remi Garde decided to use the opportunity to stage a friendly between the first team and the club's under-21s in a bid to get a win under their belt.

According to Sky Sports, however, the plan backfired horribly. The youngsters ran out comfortable winners, inflicting an embarrassing 3-0 defeat on a first team that included Brad Guzan, Alan Hutton, Ciaran Clark, Kieran Richardson, Ashley Westwood, Jordan Veretout, Idrissa Gueye, Leandro Bacuna and Scott Sinclair.

Next up for Villa in the Premier League is a trip to face Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.

[h/t Sky Sports]