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Kick-off at Deepdale is 13:30 on Sunday afternoon
This season’s FA Cup quarter-finals undoubtedly has a different look to it and therefore added intrigue around it entirely... Preston North End, the 1938 winners and only non-Premier League side left in, are right at the heart of that. There is a lot at play here, though: only one of the ‘big six’ left in as four clubs look to win the competition for the first time ever. Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest haven’t lifted the trophy since the 1950s. There isn’t the typical inevitability of Manchester City going all the way, either.
Deepdale, on Sunday afternoon, is clearly where the competition could sprinkle more magic than anywhere else. Paul Heckingbottom’s side - who’ve played every round on home soil and only lost one league match on their own patch under him - welcome one of this season’s Champions League quarter-finalists to Lancashire, in Villa. While undoubtedly one of this country’s giant football clubs, it’s not all that long ago these two sides were locking horns in the second tier - Preston had their fair share of joy too.
Now, with tactical mastermind Unai Emery at the helm, Villa have risen to incredible heights and will provide an incredibly difficult challenge for a depleted North End. And how easy it is, to picture this thing going the way everyone, if we’re honest, expects. But this is a competition where you just never know. The significance of the match being at Deepdale cannot be underestimated. Any frustrations with their club will be firmly parked by the PNE faithful here; a collective effort to make their home glow and shine and roar.
Of course, Preston will need to be outstanding on the day - even better than they were to knock out Fulham in the Carabao Cup, and Lancashire rivals Burnley in the last round. They’ll have to catch Villa on an off day and hope luck is on their side in certain moments, too. But that’s nothing nobody involved doesn’t already know. Club captain Ben Whiteman didn’t hide away from his men aiming to turn the tie into a ‘dogfight’, when speaking to national radio on Friday evening. Heckingbottom certainly won’t be rolling out the red carpet.
“Yeah, we've got to be,” said Heckingbottom, when asked if he’s confident his team can hurt Villa. “Listen, what have we got to lose? What have we got to lose? I'd rather go out on our shield than sit back and be bored, and have a tame game and try and keep the score down. We may as well go for it. That's it. We've got one chance at this and then you've got to wait until next season. So, yeah, we may as well go for it. I've heard little things that's going off with the atmosphere. I want everyone to enjoy it.”
Aston VillaAston Villa
Aston Villa | Getty Images
The North End chief also believes his side’s experiences against the aforementioned Cottagers, as well as Arsenal, can only help - Preston having twice had a feel for elite opposition this campaign. Heckingbottom does have huge admiration for Villa, in particular their attacking talent and continually strong recruitment. January additions Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio - who need no introduction - have added another string to the bow of Sunday’s visitors.
“Yeah, and it has when you watch them,” said Heckingbottom. “I usually like to be really, really prepared for the teams we play against and know exactly how we're going to take the ball from them, how we're going to try and build, how we're going to create chances. One big thing that I know from Villa is, whichever front four he plays, they're fantastic players and he's got that much selection, whichever four he picks is going to totally change how they build from the back, how they build and attack in the mid-third.
“So, yeah, we'll have to wait and see until we get the team sheet for that - and almost in our minds be prepared for every eventuality. But we will not know until we see that team sheet... If you let them play, they'll take the game from you. We have to try and impose ourselves on them and be brave and capitalise on opportunities that we can create, as we did in that second half. But then, any moment concentration levels dip, slip, they've got great quality which can open you up.”
A one-off game, then - 11 against 11 - for a place in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley. The motivation for North End quite simply doesn’t get much bigger; stranger things have happened. Achieving promotion to the Premier League isn’t getting any easier and if you do, it’s getting tougher to have much fun in the top flight too. The likes of Jordan Storey and Andrew Hughes - both of whom have recently signed new contracts and will likely feature on Sunday - have spoken about wanting to achieve something in a Preston shirt.
As much as Heckingbottom is determined push PNE towards the top of the division, there is really no guarantee of Championship success anytime soon. One thing that cannot be denied, or taken away, is the opportunity that awaits on Sunday. This is right here, right now. Come Monday, the chance will be gone; a time for all of Preston to be truly present and behind its football team, who are looking to create history. A mammoth task is in store but what a stage and occasion to embrace, with the world watching. North End manager’s message to the fans - who have a major role to play - is quite simple: bring the noise.
“100 per cent,” said Heckingbottom. “It's great that we're here at this stage, in this competition after so long. The majority of the fans in the stadium probably won't have seen us at this stage in the FA Cup, which is great. So let's make the most of it. These nights, these days, the big performances at home - the ones that everyone gets behind and talks about - we've had a few of them this season, so hopefully we can create that, make it become the norm and make sure that games at Deepdale are really special.”
Your next PNE read: Unai Emery confirms Aston Villa injury absence as quartet welcomed back
Related topics:FA CupAston VillaUnai EmeryPaul Heckingbottom
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