Preston vs Aston Villa Prediction: Defeat the home team

Latest Preston vs Aston Villa team news

Ollie Watkins' exclusion from the England squad caused considerable controversy, but the reason was partly explained by a knee injury he sustained in the second leg of the Champions League knockout round against Club Brugge. However, then-manager Unai Emery stated it was only a minor injury.

The former Brentford striker has returned to full training in recent days and is likely to be allowed to start on Sunday. Therefore, Ross Barkley (knee injury) may be the only injury concern for the visitors in their trip to Deepdale.

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

Although Emery has almost a full squad at his disposal, the situation is not so favorable for Preston, as they will definitely be missing up to seven players in the upcoming quarter-final match.

Sam Greenwood and Ryan Ledson are both suspended – Greenwood received a red card in the win against Portsmouth, while Ledson was suspended for accumulating too many cards in the FA Cup after the match against Burnley. Additionally, Ryan Porteous is ineligible to play due to cup commitments, and Kaine Kesler-Hayden is unable to face his club.

Injuries have also ruled Jack Whatmough (calf) almost certainly out for the rest of the season, while Ali McCann (calf) and Brad Potts (hamstring) are also unavailable.

On a positive note, striker Milutin Osmajic has recovered from his hip problem and is ready to play. However, he is currently facing charges from the FA following an incident in which he allegedly made racist remarks towards Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri.

Latest predicted lineups 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 match prediction: Preston vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa still have a chance to win a domestic and European double this season, as manager Unai Emery – a master of cup competitions – continues to demonstrate his prowess in both the Champions League and the FA Cup.

After successively eliminating West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at home in the early rounds of the FA Cup, Villa easily overcame Cardiff City in the round of 16 with a second-half brace from Marco Asensio – a player currently 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 – the year they beat West Brom in the quarter-finals before being thrashed by Arsenal in the final.

Nevertheless, that victory against West Brom also marked the fourth consecutive time Villa had advanced past the FA Cup quarter-finals – they hadn't been eliminated at this stage since the 1991-92 season. Emery and his players entered the international break in excellent form, winning four consecutive matches in all competitions.

Between their two-legged victory over Club Brugge in the Champions League round of 16, Villa also managed a 1-0 win against Brentford in the Premier League, and now they are preparing to face PSG – Emery's former club – in the continental quarter-finals next month. However, for now, all focus will be on the match against Preston.

While Villa prepare for their first away game in the FA Cup this season, Preston have enjoyed a run of four consecutive home games in the competition. They previously overcame Charlton Athletic and Wycombe Wanderers before pulling off a major upset with a 3-0 victory over Burnley – a team boasting one of the best defenses in the Championship.

That victory came thanks to goals from Robbie Brady, Milutin Osmajic and Will Keane, as Burnley rotated their squad to conserve energy for the promotion race.

While it took Villa 10 years to return to the FA Cup quarter-finals, Preston waited even longer. Their last appearance in the last eight was in the 1965-66 season – the same year England won the World Cup – and they were defeated by Manchester United.

Under manager Paul Heckingbottom, Preston also recently ended a six-match winless streak in the Championship with a 2-1 victory over Portsmouth on March 15th, providing a significant morale boost ahead of their match against Villa. However, statistics show they have lost 18 of their last 19 FA Cup matches against Premier League teams.

Preston fans probably don't want to dwell on the head-to-head record between the two teams, as they've only won 1 of their last 15 encounters with Aston Villa in all competitions. However, there is a positive note: the last three meetings – all in the Championship in 2018 – all ended in a draw.

Latest Preston vs Aston Villa score prediction

Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for 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 can I watch Preston vs Aston Villa live?

To watch the Preston vs Aston Villa match in the FA Cup live at 7:30 PM on March 30th, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.