Aston Villa Deepdaale 30/3/2025 13.20 hrs 6th Round FA CUP Three games away from the Europa League https://www.avfc.co.uk/ MANAGER please log in to view this image Unai Emery Etxegoien (born 3 November 1971) is a Spanish football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He is widely regarded as one of the best managers in the world.[3][4][5][6][7] After a career spent playing mostly in Spain's Segunda División, Emery transitioned into coaching after retiring in 2004. He began at Lorca Deportiva, where he achieved promotion to the Segunda División in his first season. He then joined Almería, whom he led to promotion to La Liga for the first time in the club's history. He subsequently moved to Valencia, leading the team to top-three finishes. After his contract wasn't renewed at Valencia, he moved to Spartak Moscow for six months but was sacked due to poor performance, before moving to Sevilla in 2013, where he won an unprecedented three consecutive Europa Leagues. Emery moved to French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2016. There, he won a Ligue 1 title, two Coupe de France titles, two Coupe de la Ligues, and two Trophée des Champions, including a domestic quadruple in his second season.[8] After the expiry of his contract, Emery was appointed as head coach of English club Arsenal in 2018, succeeding Arsène Wenger. He finished Europa League runner-up in his first season, before being dismissed in November 2019. He was hired by Villarreal in July 2020, where he won the Europa League in his first season and guided the club to a Champions League semi-final run in the following season. In October 2022, he returned to the Premier League to manage Aston Villa and guided them to a UEFA Conference League semi-final and Champions League qualification in 2024. LAST TIME IN'T CUP please log in to view this image BUSINESS THIS SEASON please log in to view this image BALL IN NET DUDES please log in to view this image HISTORY please log in to view this image A mad match, someone randomly took a cabbage to the game as you do and threw it at Steve Bruce The Fitness Test Paul Heckingbottom will provide a team news update in his pre-match press conference. Villa please log in to view this image Seven-time winners of the FA Cup, Aston Villa are looking to lift the trophy for the first time since 1957, within a season which has been memorable so far. They’ve enjoyed some historic nights in the UEFA Champions League, with a 1-0 home victory over Bayern Munich undoubtedly going down as one of the most famous wins in the club’s modern history. In the Premier League, Unai Emery’s team currently sit ninth and are still well within the conversation to finish in the top four, helped by the recent additions of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, among others. The Officials please log in to view this image Referee: Chris Kavanagh Assistant Referees: Adam Nunn and Lee Betts Fourth Official: Darren Bond VAR: Tim Robinson Chris Kavanagh will referee his first North End fixture since October 2022 this weekend. The Premier League official, who also referees European and international matches, has taken charge of 31 matches so far this season and has shown 177 yellow cards and six reds.
HECK Paul Heckingbottom knows it’s going to take a “big, big effort” from everyone concerned if North End are to secure their spot at Wembley. PNE are just a step away from reaching the Emirates FA Cup semi-final, with Aston Villa standing in their way on Sunday at Deepdale. Unai Emery’s side, into the final eight of the UEFA Champions League and pushing for a top four spot in the Premier League, pose a difficult challenge, but Hecky has faith in his team to go about things the right way. Hecky said: “We're going to have to produce our best performance with the ball and without the ball. With the ball, can we create enough moments to give them problems? Without the ball we've got to be concentrated for the 95 minutes and if we are doing well there'll be a big shift from their approach, from their bench, which makes another challenge in itself. “So, we have to be wary and we have to get things right on the side to cope with that and then it's about if we do play well as to creating those moments, we've got to capitalise on them. “It’ll take a big, big effort from everyone. From the 11 that start, the boys that come on off the bench, and then good decisions from the referees and the VAR moments to go our way.” Unfortunately for North End, there are some key men missing, with the likes of Ali McCann, Brad Potts, Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Ryan Ledson just a few of those unable to feature. There’s better news as far as Milutin Osmajić is concerned, though, with the striker now back in training, and Jordan Storey has built up his fitness over the international break. Hecky said: “Everyone's excited about it and looking forward to it. Obviously we've got some disappointed lads who can't play, whether that's through injury, suspension or being ineligible, which is frustrating for everyone, but it's the way it goes. “It just opens up the door and it's a great opportunity for everyone else. It’s taken a lot for us to get to this stage in terms of a lot of players, a lot of personnel. A lot of people have put a lot of effort in on the pitch to get us through the rounds that we have so far and now it's down to another group of players to try and get one step further.” While the players will be doing all they can on the pitch, so are the fans off it. They’ve been busy raising money and funding flag initiatives, doing anything they can to offer help to the team by creating a super atmosphere in a sold-out stadium. “It's a chance for the fans to show off as well now,” added Hecky. “We're at this stage, the quarter-finals, it's broadcast live. The players are going to want to show off. I speak to players all the time and say, ‘Go on and test yourself against the best.’ “It's a great opportunity for our fans to go and show a world audience – not just national – a world audience, how good a place Deepdale is when it's full. “I’m hoping that it looks fantastic and I certainly know that there will be noise there. I hope all the fans go and show off, and it's a great day for everyone to talk about.” Dick's brother Unai Unai Emery spoke with the media at Bodymoor Heath on Friday afternoon, ahead of Aston Villa's trip to Preston North End on Sunday in the FA Cup. Emery's men visit Deepdale looking to secure their place in the semi-finals of the competition at Wembley, against the Championship outfit. And the Villa boss met with local and national outlets at the club's training base to look ahead to the encounter, discussing the international break, squad freshness and consistency. Read key lines from his pre-match press conference below... On the international break... Unai Emery “We had a good break. Of course, we were working, and we were focusing the break to try to improve with the players we were working (with). “Not a lot (of players), because there were more of them with their national team. “We used the time as well to analyse the matches we played, deeply, to try to do our best performances collectively and individually. “From here, for now, until the last match we will play, hopefully for a long time as well.” On consistency... Unai Emery “The season is more or less the consistency we can have, but each moment is different. “And now, we are in another moment, we have individually and collectively to be very demanding because we were under our expectation, our ambition to get the objective we want for the season. “Of course, we conceded a lot of goals in the season, we are being sometimes consistent, but not enough. “For example, we didn’t lose a lot of matches at home, only one in the Premier League, but we draw a lot of matches. “This means we are consistent, yes, but not enough, because we are drawing more matches than we needed. “Now we are recovering some injured players, we added other players in the transfer window, more than normal, and of course the adaptation has been different for each player. “Now, today, Friday 28th March is a key moment, how we are going to face the last months in the competitions we have. “Of course, the idea is to try to get better and be stronger defensively, like we were before.” On returning from the break... Unai Emery “The international break always is important for the players and, as well, when we arrived here, we had not a lot of players in the national team and we were increasing the players joining with the national team because we were performing well, collectively and individually. “Of course, it’s better if we are here working with every player, because we were in Dubai four days and really we worked fantastic, but (with) a few players. “But we have to use it to get our consistency with the players we work (with). “The players, they were with the national team, they are coming back progressively. Today is the first day with Leon Bailey, with Emiliano Martínez, Robin Olsen and Andrés García. “Of course, they have to (be) quick again to reintroduce in our structure, in our mentality, in our style, idea, in our match on Sunday, to be focused for it. “Progressively this week, we were adding the players coming back and we worked good. “Of course, the first (thing) is try to identify in our mind, our objective, in the next match, firstly on Sunday because it’s very important, and try to recover again our style, idea playing.” On squad freshness... Unai Emery “Two years ago, we finished the season strong, and we achieved the objective in the last two matches playing against Liverpool drawing, and against Brighton winning at home here. “Last year we finished the season so, so tired. A lot of players injured, not enough energy, and we lost the last match against Crystal Palace away. “This year my objective and my idea and how we are now planning the rest of the season is to try to be full energy again and every player focusing individually and collectively on the objective we are going to face.”
Preston North End 0 Aston Villa 3 Rashford 2 Ramsay Attendance: 22,198 (5,706 Aston Villa fans). Referee: Mr C Kavanagh. please log in to view this image On a warm spring day the drams of London in the sunshine at Wembley disappeared for another season, shorn of 8 players who could have started we gave it a go and got to an hour before their quality finally told. You only had to look at the two benches we had a 17 year old back up keeper plus four other teenagers with a total of first team minutes that you could count with the fingers of one hand. Started well hd a shout for a penalty and generally made a nuisance of ourselves, Villa started to gain the upper hand seemed to get lots of freekicks around the area though they do tend to go down easy these Premiership chappies, luckily non troubled Cornell. Had a chance to score reat ball by Brady caused a bit of panic in the Villa box and led to Thordarson heading wide, maybe should have done better but there were three Villa players covering the danger. Level at the break. Thought we started the better in the second period but they were begining to look more menacing, great Storey tackle slowed down a raid which ended with Cornell finally saving. Then in the space of four minutes basically game over, a lightning fast raid down the right Digne who was outstanding all afternoon ball into the box Rashford slides it home. Four minutes later soft penalty Hughes stands on lads foot nobody claims for it Ref gives. Rashford sends Cornell wrong way and to all purposes that's game over. Still had time for Ramsay to run past a tiring midfield firing the ball home through Cornell's hands. Watkins missed a chance and they had another inches away late on. And that was that couldn't fault them althou might have been more intersting if we had some of our missing players in. HECK Paul Heckingbottom was disappointed his side missed out on reaching an FA Cup semi-final, however pride was the main takeaway from the performance. Aston Villa came out on top at Deepdale in the quarter-final, with a second-half brace from Marcus Rashford and a tidy finish from Jacob Ramsey earning the win. For the first hour or so, though, PNE were more than a match for their opponents, limiting the UEFA Champions League quarter-finalists to very little. Hecky said: “I'm proud of the effort of the team today. We're all disappointed because of the potential prize. Of course we are. “But I'm not disappointed with anyone connected with the club. Everyone's put their heart and soul into that today and enjoyed it. I hope everyone has. “The fans who turned out were magnificent and they've backed the players. We need that backing now in the last games of the league. “It was always going to be difficult against Villa. It was always going to be difficult even if we had the full squad, but I felt we had the best chance until their first goal. “The moment they had scored their first goal, and then we can't react to that before they get the second, so yeah, it made it a difficult afternoon.” North End were without a number of key players on the day, with some regular starters out through injury, suspensions and ineligibility. That didn’t hold them back as they went toe to toe with their visitors from Villa Park, but ultimately Unai Emery’s side just had too much in the end. Hecky said: “They’re a Premier League team and Champions League quarter-final finalists. With the calibre of players they've got and everyone we've got missing, it was a tough, tough ask. “But like I said, the players deserve immense credit for how we went and attacked that game. “It's Jordan’s first minutes and he's had to play 90. Ben [Whiteman] doing his first 90 back. It’s tough, but everyone's stuck at it and equipped themselves well. It just becomes a difficult day then because Villa can relax once they go two up.” Emery Unai Emery spoke of his pride after Aston Villa booked their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 3-0 win at Preston North End. The Villans will play at Wembley for the first time since 2020 next month, taking on Crystal Palace for a place in the final thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford (2) and Jacob Ramsey and Deepdale. Emery was pleased to have secured progression in a historic, important competition, and is looking forward to seeing the supporters enjoy an occasion at the national stadium. Unai Emery The Villa boss said: “Very happy, because I think we were aware about the responsibility we had in this competition, because our supporters, really, how they are feeling this way in the FA Cup and how important it is for them to try to get some special moments sharing with us. “It’s really very important, through the competitions we are (in), but in the FA Cup as well, I think the most important cup in the world, and here in England, historic, prestige cup. “To play semi-finals and going to Wembley I think will be very special, for the supporters, for everybody here as well, for the workers. “Of course, it’s our challenge now. Our challenge to enjoy the way and challenge to play, performing like we are playing in this competition, and to be together and try to create feelings together with our supporters.” Marcus Rashford The Spaniard also reserved praise for the performance of Rashford, after his brace gave the Villans a commanding lead either side of the hour mark. Speaking on his performance, Emery added: “Fantastic. He is personally feeling better, comfortable, confident. “Scoring goals of course is I think adding the confidence he needs, and of course helping us. “I think the challenge we have – the club, the team, the squad and himself – is really one huge challenge to try to get together something, helping each one in our capacity to recover his best performances, and as well, adding us his qualities and his assists and his goals.”
Agree with most of your report, Mac. There were inconsistences in refereeing but the decisions on penalty claims were debatable. Surely a foul tackle on someone who has successfully passed the ball to a colleague that doesn't involve any injury that is an indirect free kick at the most? Also, the NE claim was debatable. Did Hughes propel himself down or was he tripped? In the 2nd half, it was evident that the team were short on practicing together: gaps appearing in a what was a tight defence in the 1st half. The 2 goal either side of the penalty were slight and superb. I wish AV success (it is some consolation to know NE were eliminated by the eventual Cup Winners. There are Spring-like green shoots of recovery from the RL days in the NE squad. The pundits on the Beeb talked about quality of NE's youths: they spoke highly of Theo and the other lad.
Welcome back Barnet, we do seem to get some iffy decisions against us apparently over the season they even out, we will get a whole raft of iffy decision to level up in the last nine games
I cannot remember NE being awarded a penalty despite numerous claims. It seems as though 'Well, it's a man's game' only applies to NE.
