Comments and predictions for Preston vs Aston Villa: Defeat the home team

Latest Preston vs Aston Villa team information

Ollie Watkins' omission from the England squad has caused some controversy, but it is partly explained by the knee injury he suffered in the second leg of the Champions League knockout round against Club Brugge, although manager Unai Emery said at the time it was only a minor injury.

The former Brentford striker has returned to full training in recent days and is likely to be fit to start on Sunday, leaving Ross Barkley (knee) as the only injury doubt for the visitors in the trip to Deepdale.

However, defender Axel Disasi – who is on loan from Chelsea – is ineligible to play in the FA Cup, so Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings are expected to partner him at centre-back, while Pau Torres is still recovering from a foot injury.

Although Emery has almost full squad, the situation on Preston's side is not very optimistic as they will certainly be missing up to 7 players in the upcoming quarter-final match.

Sam Greenwood and Ryan Ledson are both suspended – Greenwood was sent off in the win over Portsmouth, and Ledson is suspended for having already accumulated his FA Cup bookings against Burnley. Ryan Porteous is also ineligible due to cup ties, and Kaine Kesler-Hayden cannot play against his parent club.

Injury also sees Jack Whatmough (calf) ruled out for the rest of the season, while Ali McCann (calf) and Brad Potts (hamstring) are also ruled out.

On the bright side, striker Milutin Osmajic has recovered from a hip problem and is ready to play. However, he is currently facing FA charges after allegedly using racist language towards Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri.

Latest predicted lineup for Preston vs Aston Villa

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

Aston Villa:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; McGinn, Tielemans; Asensio, Rogers, Rashford; Watkins

Latest football commentary Preston vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa are still on course for a domestic and European double this season, as cup master Unai Emery continues to show his mettle in both the Champions League and FA Cup.

After eliminating West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at home in the early rounds of the FA Cup, Villa eased past Cardiff City in the last 16 with a second-half double from Marco Asensio, who is on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.

Asensio's two goals helped the Villa Park side reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since the 2014-15 season – when they overcame West Brom in the quarter-finals before being thrashed by Arsenal in the final.

However, the victory over West Brom marked Villa’s fourth successive FA Cup quarter-final exit – they had not been out of the competition since 1991-92. Emery and his players went into the international break in fine form, winning four games in a row in all competitions.

Between the two legs of their Champions League last-16 win over Club Brugge, Villa also managed a 1-0 win over Brentford in the Premier League, and now they are set to face PSG – Emery’s former club – in the continental quarter-finals next month. But for now, all focus will be on the game against Preston.

While Villa are preparing to visit for the first time this season in the FA Cup, Preston have played four consecutive home games in the competition, having beaten Charlton Athletic and Wycombe Wanderers before pulling off a major upset with a 3-0 win over Burnley – a team with one of the best defences in the Championship.

That win came thanks to goals from Robbie Brady, Milutin Osmajic and Will Keane, as Burnley rotated their squad to stay in the promotion race.

While it took Villa 10 years to get back to the FA Cup quarter-finals, Preston have waited much longer. Their last appearance in the last eight was in 1965-66 – the same year England won the World Cup – when they lost to Manchester United.

Under manager Paul Heckingbottom, Preston also ended a six-game winless run in the Championship with a 2-1 win over Portsmouth on March 15, providing a significant morale boost ahead of their visit to Villa. However, statistics show they have lost 18 of their last 19 FA Cup games against Premier League sides.

Preston fans will probably not want to dwell on the two teams’ head-to-head record, with the club winning just one of their last 15 meetings with Aston Villa in all competitions. However, there is a silver lining: the last three meetings – all in the Championship in 2018 – have ended in draws.

Latest Preston vs Aston Villa score prediction

Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the results of the match.Preston vs Aston Villaas follows:

• Sportsmole:Preston 1-2 Aston Villa

• WhoScore:Preston 0-2 Aston Villa
• Our newspaper predicts:Preston 0-2 Aston Villa

When and where to watch Preston vs Aston Villa live?

To watch live the match Preston vs Aston Villa in the FA Cup taking place at 7:30 p.m. on March 30, viewers can watch onK+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. Wish you have fun watching football.