Preston vs Aston Villa Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2024-25 English FA Cup | Quarter-Final
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Championship side Preston North End are aiming for a trip to Wembley Stadium as they take on a strong Aston Villa side in an FA Cup quarter-final at Deepdale in Lancashire this weekend.
Kick-off date/time: Sunday 30th March, 2025: UK – 1:30pm / US ET – 8:30am / US PT – 5:30am
How to watch on TV: UK – BBC / US – ESPN+
How to watch online: UK – BBC iPlayer / US – ESPN+
Preston Preview: Heckingbottom up for the cup
A couple of years ago, when he was in charge of Sheffield United and led them to automatic promotion to the Premier League, Paul Heckingbottom also managed to get a Championship side to the semi-finals of the FA Cup and he is hoping to achieve that once again.
The hosts have been firmly in the middle-of-the-table in the second-tier after a poor start to the campaign before Heckingbottom’s arrival. They defeated Lancashire rivals Burnley by three goals to nil in the fifth round of the FA Cup earlier this month at Deepdale.
Aston Villa Preview: Fighting on multiple fronts
Unai Emery has a deep and strong Aston Villa squad that are heading into a run-in whereby they are fighting on multiple fronts with an upcoming UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain in April as well as chasing a top five finish in the Premier League.
The Villains defeated Cardiff City by two goals to nil in the fifth round of the cup after victories at Villa Park against West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur in the third and fourth rounds respectively. They haven’t won a trophy since winning the League Cup in 1996.
Preston Team News: Greenwood suspended
Deep into second-half stoppage-time of their victory over Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago, Sam Greenwood received a second yellow card and is now missing through suspension. Controversial striker Milutin Osmajic is also a doubt for Preston this weekend. Kaine Kesler Hayden is unavailable due to being unable to play against his parent club.
Predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Woodman; Porteous, Lindsay, Gibson; Brady, Ledson, Thordarson, Meghoma; Frokjaer-Jensen; Keane, Riis
Unavailable: Whatmough (Injured), Kesler-Hayden (Ineligible), McCann (Injured), Potts (Injured), Greenwood (Suspended)
Questionable: Osmajic (Injured)
Aston Villa Team News: Couple of doubts
England international Ollie Watkins did not join up with the England squad over the international break but he is expected to be available for this one, whilst Ross Barkley is once again expected to be unavailable for this one.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Kamara; Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins
Unavailable:
Questionable: Barkley (Injured), Watkins (Fitness)
Preston vs Aston Villa Prediction
Preston haven’t had the toughest route to this round of the cup with their hardest game coming against a heavily rotated Burnley side a few weeks ago. They are now missing several key players such as Greenwood and Kesler-Hayden, with Osmajic a crucial doubt. Villa have a lot of fixtures coming up but their squad is such that they can rotate and remain very strong so a fairly comfortable victory for the Villains is to be expected here.
Preston vs Aston Villa Tip: Aston Villa to win -1 handicap
