Preston v Aston Villa Match Result
According to the FA Cup betting sites, Aston Villa have roughly a 70% chance of landing a victory at Deepdale in this encounter. It was a comfortable 2-0 win over Cardiff City in the previous round of the competition, with the Midlands side having previously accounted for Tottenham Hotspur, although they haven’t been too convincing on the road in the top flight.
Indeed, Unai Emery’s side have lost 50% of their away clashes this term in the Premier League and they’ve not always looked watertight from a defensive point-of-view. The fact that twenty-seven goals have been shipped on the road will give Preston encouragement, although it’s still a big ask for North End to land an FA Cup victory.
The Lancashire side have actually lost just two games at Deepdale this season, although the majority of their home clashes have ended in a draw. Seven wins have been accompanied by ten draws, with Paul Heckingbottom having taken the reins and replacing Ryan Lowe. The former Leeds manager has done a sterling job with Preston and he will hope that they can produce a masterful performance.
There was everything to like about a 3-0 win over Burnley although one can’t help but feel that a win in the previous round of the FA Cup was against Lancashire rivals who were demotivated in this competition. Previously to this, there were wins over Charlton and Wycombe, the latter of which was secured through a penalty shootout.
However, wins have been low on the ground and they’ll come up against a team who are in the last eight of the Champions League. It might be that Villa rest players ahead of a busy fixture schedule, with a midweek trip to Brighton being followed by a home clash against Forest and then a trip to PSG.
Goals Under/Over
Perhaps we’ll see plenty of goals being scored in this FA Cup encounter, with the bookies anticipating that there’s a 60% chance of Over 2.5 Goals being netted between Preston and Aston Villa. The visitors come into the game off the back of four straight wins and will hope to have all their players available after the international break which can sometimes throw up a few injuries.
Villa’s 3-1 win at Club Brugge in the Champions League was somewhat fortunate, although this is certainly a team which has goals in it. They put another three past their Belgian opponents on home soil, with Ollie Watkins, Marcus Rashford and Morgan Rogers operating dangerously and well capable of scoring against modest opposition.
Preston can ill-afford to play too defensively, although three of their past four encounters have finished with two goals or less. They come into this game off the back of a 2-1 win over Portsmouth where PNE managed to have six shots on target.
BTTS
BTTS Yes is trading at a backable price and much comes down to whether you think Preston will find the net in this game. Aston Villa are surely very likely to get at least one goal, with Unai Emery’s side having scored forty-one times in their twenty-nine encounters. Although only one of the past four matches have seen BTTS Yes happen, the previous five games in all competitions saw both teams find the net.
So will Preston find a way to score? It’s one of their biggest games in their recent history, with supporters dreaming of a Wembley trip. North End have found the net in five of their previous seven encounters, although the fact that they couldn’t score in 120 minutes of football against League One side Wycombe means that some punters will be opting to back Villa along with BTTS No.
That combination play can be backed at an attractive price, with even that 3-0 win over Burnley seeing Preston score three times from their four shots on target. They’ll certainly have to be clinical should chances come their way in this clash.
First Goalscorer
Marco Asensio has been a roaring success since arriving on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. The 29-year-old has scored an incredible seven goals in the space of five games and will surely be given the nod to play in this clash. Let’s not forget that the Spanish international operated successfully for Real Madrid for the best part of a decade and will surely have too much quality for Championship opposition.
Marcus Rashford was another January arrival at Villa Park, with the former Manchester United player enjoying a new lease of life under Emery. Although he’s yet to score for the Villans, perhaps this is the game where we see the England man come to the fore with some goals after his last goals were a brace against Everton at the beginning of December.
Ollie Watkins will go off favourite and looks sure to lead the line, with Morgan Rogers now on twelve for the season, with lots of different Villa attacking options. Emil Riis is probably Preston’s most likely scorer, with the Dane having hit double figures this season and height could cause a few problems for the Villa defence.