Championship outfit Preston North End host Aston Villa in the FA Cup quarter-finals this Sunday.
It is a historic encounter for the Lancashire-based club as it is the first time they have reached this stage of the competition since 1966.
Kaine Kesler-Hayden has been a key player for the Lilywhites this season, but he will not be able to feature this afternoon. The 22-year-old is on loan from Aston Villa and is ineligible to play against his parent club.
Elsewhere, long-serving midfielders Ali McCann and Ryan Ledson are unavailable due to injuries. Milutin Osmaijic is back in training and should be at Paul Heckingbottam’s disposal despite the ongoing FA investigation into an incident involving the Montenegrin international and Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri.
Next up — an FA Cup quarter-final clash with Preston North End 🏆 pic.twitter.com/n4nArp2Nxh
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) March 27, 2025
Watford loanee Ryan Porteous is unavailable after appearing in the third round of the competition with the Hornets. Sam Greenwood is suspended. He received two yellow cards at home to Portsmouth prior to the international break.
Aston Villa are aiming to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2015 at Deepdale.
In terms of absentees, Ross Barkley still hasn’t completely recovered from a calf issue and Axel Disasi is cup-tied.
Belgian midfielder Andre Onana is ready to feature with his last competitive appearance coming at the start of February.
Preston vs Aston Villa – Match preview and team news
Form
Preston: WDLDW
Preston are the lowest-ranked side left in the FA Cup and the only team from outside of the Premier League.
Their path to this stage has seen them eliminate Charlton Athletic, Wycombe Wanderers and Burnley, all at their home ground.
The Lilywhites have already knocked out top-flight opposition in a domestic competition this season. Earlier on in the campaign, they held their nerve to beat Fulham 16-15 in a ludicrous Carabao Cup penalty shootout.
In the Championship, Paul Heckingbottom’s outfit are residing in 14th position with the threat of relegation fairly distant.
Aston Villa: LWWWW
Aston Villa enter this cup tie in fine form after winning their last four matches.
However, they haven’t been in action in almost three weeks due to the international break and Liverpool’s involvement in the Carabao Cup final.
Their last outing was the 3-0 second leg victory over Club Brugge which saw them progress into the last eight of the Champions League.
Unai Emery and his players will now face Paris Saint-Germain in the next round, who managed to knock out Liverpool on penalties.
Since arriving in January, PSG loanee Marco Asensio has been an instrumental force for the Villans. The Spaniard’s brace in the previous round helped his team to a comfortable triumph over Cardiff City.
Last Meeting: Preston 1-1 Aston Villa, Championship, 29th December 2018
The last encounter came ...
