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Predicting Aston Villa’s lineup to take on Preston North End in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Aston Villa have the chance to make history as travel to Preston North End in the last eight of the Emirates FA Cup on Sunday.
Despite winning the competition seven times in their history, the Villans haven’t reached the semi-finals since 2015, the year they progressed to the final and lost to Arsenal. Unai Emery will be desperate to put an end to the barren run, with a win this weekend enough to set up a first visit to Wembley Stadium since the 2-1 League Cup final defeat to Manchester City in 2020.
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Preston may be in the division below, but they certainly won’t be easy to beat as they are unbeaten in their last 15 home games and have kept four clean sheets in their last six. Led by Paul Heckingbottom, the North End haven’t conceded more than once in a home fixture since November.
There are several selection dilemmas to consider as Emery has a nearly fully fit squad to select from, with Ross Barkley the only certain absentee. The right-back, left centre-back, left-back, central midfield, left wing and number 10 roles are all arguably up for grabs, so it’ll be interesting to see who gets the nod.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Preston
Without further ado, here’s the starting XI we reckon Emery will name at Deepdale.
GK - Emi Martinez: The first-choice goalkeeper is back to full fitness after a couple of knocks in February and March. Martinez started ahead of Robin Olsen in the fifth round.
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RB - Matty Cash: With Axel Disasi cup-tied, it makes sense for Cash to come back into the XI. He played a part in two wins with Poland over the international break.
CB - Ezri Konsa: Ever so reliable for Villa throughout much of this season, Konsa very rarely puts on a poor performance. His versatility has been so important.
CB - Pau Torres: Now back from injury, Pau can use this game to build sharpness ahead of the return to Premier League action on Wednesday.
LB - Lucas Digne: It’s not been easy for Ian Maatsen to watch on but Digne has earned his status as the lead left-back. The competition is fierce.
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CM - Boubacar Kamara: Fully up to speed now and a starter against Brugge before the interval, Kamara simply has to start when available. He’s been superb.
CM - Youri Tielemans: Thriving in the double pivot just as much as he was as a number 10, Tielemans has played more minutes than any other Villa player this season.
RM - Morgan Rogers: Enjoying a new role out on the right flank since Asensio’s arrival, Rogers deservedly made his first England start last week.
LM - Marcus Rashford: It’s a tough choice between Jacob Ramsey and Rashford but the latter probably just about gets the nod following his England return.
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CAM - Marco Asensio: In incredible form with seven goals in his opening eight Villa appearances, Asensio deserves to start. He scored twice in the previous round against Cardiff.
ST - Ollie Watkins: It seems Watkins is ready to play following his injury as Emery has confirmed everyone is fit and available apart from Barkley.
In other news, Emiliano Martinez was up to no good on international duty with Argentina.