Preston North End vs Aston Villa - Preview, prediction, team news and lineups

FanSided World Football

·29 March 2025

Preston North End vs Aston Villa - Preview, prediction, team news and lineups

Preston have won only one of 15 meetings with Aston Villa since 1969, albeit their last three encounters have all produced draws.

The pair have met eight times in the FA Cup, but have not done so for 58 years, with Villa winning both of their last two encounters in this competition.

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Preston North End vs Aston Villa Preview

Aston Villa are seven-times FA Cup winners, only five clubs can boast more, but it's now 68 years since they got their hands on this trophy, seeking to reach a first semi-final for a decade. To get this far this season, Unai Emery's team have won a trio of home matches, overcoming West Ham, Spurs and Cardiff, with Marco Asensio's brace seeing off the Welsh side earlier this month.

Meantime, it's set to be a very busy end to the season for the Villans, having reached the Champions League quarter-finals, comfortably seeing off Club Brugge 5-1 on aggregate. They'll now take on Paris Saint-Germain, with the first leg coming up in the French capital on Wednesday week.

In the Premier League too, as the Claret and Blue Army seek to get back into European competition, they beat Brentford 1-0 three weeks ago, with Ollie Watkins the match-winner in West London. This lifted them up to ninth, thereby just outside the potential European positions. Nevertheless, of course, should Villa win the FA Cup, they'd be guaranteed a European place, so will they move a step closer to glory in Lancashire?

Preston North End meantime won this trophy in 1889 and 1938, but are now seeking to reach the last four for the first time since 1964, when they were beaten finalists. The Lilywhites have enjoyed home wins over Charlton, Wycombe and fierce rivals Burnley so far, with Robbie Brady's spectacular free-kick the highlight of the 3-0 fifth round victory at Deepdale

In the EFL Championship, Paul Heckingbottom's team had been without a win in six before beating Portsmouth 2-1 last time out; Stefán Teitur Þórðarson's 87th minute goal snatching victory. With eight league matches to go, Preston sit 14th, highly unlikely to go up or down, thereby set for an 11th successive season in the second-tier. North End have lost each of their last eight FA Cup ties against Premier League opposition, a streak that we're forecasting will continue come Sunday.

Preston North End vs Aston Villa Head-to-Head Record

Matches Played: 116.

Preston North End Wins: 38. Draws: 21. Aston Villa Wins: 57.

Preston North End Team News

Having already been banned for biting Owen Beck in September, midfielder Milutin Osmajić is suspended once again, charged by the FA for allegedly racial abusing Hannibal Mejbri. Meantime, Sam Greenwood is suspended, having been booked twice in stoppage time against Pompey.

Paul Heckingbottom is set to stick with the 5-3-2 shape deployed in recent weeks, with Brentford loanee Jayden Meghoma getting the nod over Robbie Brady at left-wing-back. In the absence of Osmajić, Stefán Teitur Þórðarson and Mads Frøkjær-Jensen will keep their places in midfield.

Preston North End predicted lineup vs Aston Villa: (4-2-3-1): Woodman; Kesler-Hayden, Gibson, Lindsay, Porteous, Meghoma; Ledson, Þórðarson, Frøkjær-Jensen; Keane, Riis.

Preston North End Players to Watch vs Aston Villa

Emil Riis is North End's top-scorer this season with ten goals, six of which have been scored at Deepdale, so can he add to both tallies?

Aston Villa Team News

For Unai Emery's team, fit again Pau Torres came off the bench against Club Brugge 18 days ago, a major boost, while Amadou Onana was an unused substitute, hoping to feature for the first time since 1 February due to a hamstring injury. In goal, after Emi Martínez faced Brazil at the Monumental in the early hours of Wednesday morning, could Robin Olsen be rotated in between the sticks?

Ollie Watkins did not go away with England due to a knee issue, but is expected to be fit for this one, returning to spearhead the attack.

Aston Villa Player to Watch vs Preston North End

Marco Asensio scored twice against Brugge during Villa's most-recent outing, taking his tally to seven goals in just eight appearances in Claret and Blue, including a brace against Championship side Cardiff in the previous round.

Preston North End vs Aston Villa Prediction

We are expecting Aston Villa to be simply too strong for Preston at Deepdale on Sunday, with Unai Emery's team therefore advancing to the semi-finals at Wembley: Preston North End 0-2 Aston Villa.