Matthew Wilkinson

Tue 25 March 2025 20:00, UK

Aston Villa will be aiming to book a trip to Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup semi-finals when they face Preston North End after the international break.

Villa haven’t won a major trophy since 1996, although they have been FA Cup runners-up twice since then, which has given them a taste of what this competition can offer.

Unai Emery is attempting to make Villa one of England’s top teams, and success at a domestic level is going to be a significant part of that as they look to challenge for silverware.

The Villans have overcome West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Cardiff City to reach this stage in the competition, but this will mark their first away game in the FA Cup this season.

Preston v Aston Villa preview

Villa are having another impressive season so far, both in England and Europe, and while a lot of focus might be on their Champions League adventure, there is just as much importance on the FA Cup.

The international break came at the wrong time for Emery’s men due to the dominant run they were on, having only lost once in their last nine matches in all competitions.

Villa picked up consecutive clean sheets in their last two outings, and with Ezri Konsa heading into the game after a great international break, he should be ready to be a general at the back once more.

Meanwhile, Preston will be out to try and provide this round’s giant-killing after not facing any Premier League opposition until this point.

Preston have only been beaten once in their past five games, and that came in a tight 1-0 loss against Sheffield United, which should lead to the squad having no shortage of confidence.

Aston Villa team news v Preston

A chunk of Villa’s team will be returning to Emery fresh from the international break, which will require the medical team to double-check their fitness.

The Villans have been without Ross Barkley since January 10, when he came off injured in their FA Cup third-round win against West Ham, but he is closing in on a return and could be handed some minutes here if possible.

Ollie Watkins was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad due to injury, but whether Emery chooses to risk him in this game remains to be seen, with an appearance off the bench the most likely.

Aston Villa head-to-head record v Preston

It has been a long time since these two teams played against each other, with their most recent match being in 2018 during Villa’s promotion campaign back to the Premier League.

Villa and Preston drew 1-1 at Deepdale as Tammy Abraham scored Villa’s only goal, and a draw has been the predominant finish of their last five meetings, with four ending this way.

Villa did get the best of Preston when they traveled away from home in 2017 as they registered a 2-0 win, but typically, games between these teams are closely contested.

Preston v Aston Villa predicted lineups

Preston: Woodman; Kesler-Hayden, Porteous, Lindsay, Gibson, Meghoma; Ledso, Frokjear-Jensen, Thordarson; Keane, Jakobsen

Aston Villa: Martinez; Garcia, Konsa, Bogarde, Maatsen; McGinn, Tielemans; Bailey, Asensio, Rashford, Rogers

Aston Villa predicted scoreline v Preston

Emery might be looking to rotate members of his squad to give people game time while resting others ahead of a busy period, but there’s no doubt he will be seeing this competition as a major opportunity to win silverware.

A victory here would book Villa a trip to Wembley Stadium for the semi-final, which would be a big occasion for the fans and a continued sign of their growth as a club.

Preston have done well to reach this stage of the competition and have proven they can be a threat, but Villa should have too much quality and return to the Midlands with a 3-1 win.