Aston Villa host League Two side Stevenage in an FA Cup third round clash on Sunday. The Villans continue to show plenty of improvement under Unai Emery and while Stevenage are also impressing down in the fourth tier, they should be no match for the confident Premier League side.
Although their form is still slightly patchy, Aston Villa have improved since Unai Emery took charge. Given his exploits in the Europa League, the Spaniard has established himself as a Cup expert and will be targeting a deep run with Villa in this competition.
Aston Villa have claimed some impressive results under Emery since taking charge. They have already beaten Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur and head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek in the Premier League.
One problem that still persists for Aston Villa is their lack of discipline at the back, particularly at Villa Park. They have kept just one clean sheet in their last six home matches across all competitions.
Stevenage are also having a fine campaign down in League Two as they are currently pushing for promotion. They have come through the two previous rounds of the FA Cup and claimed a 3-0 victory over King’s Lynn Town to book a place in Sunday’s clash.
The visitors Travel to Villa Park in good form having won their last two matches. They picked up a 3-1 victory over Crawley Town before seeing off Gillingham 1-0 in a League Two fixture on Wednesday.
However, things have not been smooth for Stevenage on their recent travels. They have claimed just one win from their last four away matches and have also failed to score in the last two fixtures in that run.
How the bookies view it
Aston Villa are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 2/11 by bet365. A victory for Stevenage is valued at 20/1 by Betfred while a draw is set at odds of 6/1 by BetVictor.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Aston Villa and Stevenage.
Players to watch
Danny Ings remains the top scorer for Aston Villa and is back among the goals after a brief dry spell. The striker has scored three goals in his last five matches and is priced at 11/10 with bet365 to find the net on Sunday.
Danny Rose often leads the line for Stevenage, although he is in the middle of a dry spell at the moment. The striker has five League Two goals and will be looking to capitalise on Aston Villa’s defensive vulnerability at 15/2 with William Hill.
Anything else catch the eye?
Aston Villa and Stevenage often enjoy an attacking style of play, so goals can be expected on Sunday. Over 4.5 goals is valued at 3/1 with Paddy Power, who is also offering odds of 5/4 on over 3.5 goals.
Villa are expected to be comfortable on Sunday and could be tipped to win both halves at 6/5 with bet365.
This FA Cup match between Aston Villa and Stevenage will be played on Jan 8, 2023 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Aston Villa vs Stevenage prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
