Preston North End v Aston Villa: FA Cup prediction and tips as Villans breeze past Championship opposition

Championship side Preston North End will hope to cause the biggest upset of this weekend's0 FA Cup quarter-finals when they face Aston Villa on Sunday lunchtime.

This great club may have lifted the trophy in the past, albeit six times fewer than Villa, but they spend most of their time bouncing around mid-table in the second tier these days.

It’s been a long time since Bill Shankly helped North End claim the FA Cup during the 1937/38 season and 64 years since they played top-flight football.

Their best achievement since then is a bunch of play-off defeats in the Championship, yet you’d be foolish to think Villa have already won this match.

Plymouth’s victories against Brentford and Liverpool were a wild reminder that the cup's magic is still alive, even if it does hinge on massive squad rotation.

Unai Emery cannot afford to overlook the importance of winning the FA Cup, and with this weekend set aside for the quarter-finals, a full-strength Villa will fancy their chances.

Good luck and please gamble responsibly.

(All Bet365 odds are correct at the time of article publication)

Preston v Aston Villa betting tips

Marco Asensio to score - 6/4

Marcus Rashford to score or assist - 5/6 

Aston Villa -1.5 Asian handicap - 6/5

Preston v Aston Villa betting preview

The best indicator of how North End may perform might be the results they’ve picked up against the big three in the Championship: Leeds, Sheffield United and Burnley.

They’ve yet to visit Elland Road but their low-block, counter-attack approach held Leeds to a 1-1 draw at Deepdale, where they also beat Burnley 3-0 in the previous round of the competition.

They were narrowly beaten in the league fixture at Deepdale but did at least stand firm to claim a 0-0 draw at Turf Moor. Likewise, they made life hard for the Blades in a 1-0 defeat at Bramall Lane recently.

Competing with the second-tier’s big three and beating the Villans are two very different things, but at least it offers hope that they can frustrate better-quality opposition.

Villa shouldn’t be too bothered about a low-block, as they possess more than enough Premier League quality to break it down. If they get caught on the block, they should have enough athleticism to survive.

They won four on the spin before the international break and made very light work of Club Brugge in the Champions League, so they should be in confident mood.

Ex-Real Madrid man Marco Asensio has scored seven goals in six matches for Villa and will be more than familiar with how to break down a deep-lying side from his time in the Spanish capital.

We’ll take him to continue his fantastic form and build on the link-up play we’ve seen with Marcus Rashford en-route to a comfortable win.

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