Preston vs Aston Villa – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Championship outfit Preston North End host Aston Villa in the FA Cup quarter-finals this Sunday.

It is a historic encounter for the Lancashire-based club as it is the first time they have reached this stage of the competition since 1966.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden has been a key player for the Lilywhites this season, but he will not be able to feature this afternoon. The 22-year-old is on loan from Aston Villa and is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Elsewhere, long-serving midfielders Ali McCann and Ryan Ledson are unavailable due to injuries. Milutin Osmaijic is back in training and should be at Paul Heckingbottam’s disposal despite the ongoing FA investigation into an incident involving the Montenegrin international and Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri.

Watford loanee Ryan Porteous is unavailable after appearing in the third round of the competition with the Hornets. Sam Greenwood is suspended. He received two yellow cards at home to Portsmouth prior to the international break.

Aston Villa are aiming to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2015 at Deepdale.

In terms of absentees, Ross Barkley still hasn’t completely recovered from a calf issue and Axel Disasi is cup-tied.

Belgian midfielder Andre Onana is ready to feature with his last competitive appearance coming at the start of February.

Preston vs Aston Villa – Match preview and team news

Form

Preston: WDLDW

Preston are the lowest-ranked side left in the FA Cup and the only team from outside of the Premier League.

Their path to this stage has seen them eliminate Charlton Athletic, Wycombe Wanderers and Burnley, all at their home ground.

The Lilywhites have already knocked out top-flight opposition in a domestic competition this season. Earlier on in the campaign, they held their nerve to beat Fulham 16-15 in a ludicrous Carabao Cup penalty shootout.

In the Championship, Paul Heckingbottom’s outfit are residing in 14th position with the threat of relegation fairly distant.

Aston Villa: LWWWW

Aston Villa enter this cup tie in fine form after winning their last four matches.

However, they haven’t been in action in almost three weeks due to the international break and Liverpool’s involvement in the Carabao Cup final.

Their last outing was the 3-0 second leg victory over Club Brugge which saw them progress into the last eight of the Champions League.

Unai Emery and his players will now face Paris Saint-Germain in the next round, who managed to knock out Liverpool on penalties.

Since arriving in January, PSG loanee Marco Asensio has been an instrumental force for the Villans. The Spaniard’s brace in the previous round helped his team to a comfortable triumph over Cardiff City.

Last Meeting: Preston 1-1 Aston Villa, Championship, 29th December 2018

The last encounter came in the second tier of English football and the spoils were shared at Deepdale.

Preston started the brighter of the two sides but the woodwork denied them from taking the lead.

Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland fumbled his catch from a corner which saw the ball land at the feet of Jordan Storey. Despite the defender getting strong purchase on the effort, the strike didn’t have the required accuracy and cannoned off the crossbar.

Nyland redeemed himself for the earlier mistake with a fine instinctive stop to deny a rasping shot from Graham Burke minutes later.

On the stroke of half-time, the visitors broke the deadlock through Tammy Abraham. Glenn Whelan’s corner picked out the imposing striker who made no mistake with his header.

Alex Neil’s Preston grabbed a deserved equaliser in the second period. A neat interchange between Ryan Ledson and Daniel Johnson down the right flank saw the latter burst into the area. The Jamaican international rolled a precise pass across the box which caused all sorts of problems for Villa. It culminated in a combination of Ahmed El Mohamady and Lukas Nmecha helping the ball into the net with the goal credited to the Preston striker.

In the closing stages, Birkir Bjarnason inexplicably missed the target from two yards out. El Mohamady’s delivery found its way to the back post and left the goalkeeper stranded. However, the ball bounced just before reaching Bjarnason which resulted in him blazing over the crossbar, much to the anguish of the travelling support behind the goal.

Preston and Villa’s final game of 2018 ended all square after an enticing Championship contest.

Predicted Lineups

Preston: Woodman; Storey, Gibson, Lindsay, Bauer, Brady; Whiteman, Frokjaer-Jensen; Thordarson; Keane, Osmajic.

Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Rogers, Asensio, Rashford; Watkins.

Who is the referee?

Chris Kavanagh will be the match official. Adam Nunn and Lee Betts will assist him while Darren Bond will be the fourth official. The VAR will be Tim Robinson and he will be assisted by Sian Massey-Ellis.

What TV channel is Preston vs Aston Villa on?

Preston vs Aston Villa will be available to watch on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Online.

What time is kick-off?

Kick-off at Deepdale will be at 13:30 BST on Sunday 30th March 2025.

Preston vs Aston Villa Match Odds

Preston: 13/2

Draw: 7/2

Aston Villa: 2/5

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