Premier League | Gameweek 25

Feb 15, 2025 at 3pm UK

Villa Park

Aston Villa vs Ipswich

Match preview

With Aston Villa's top-four push in the Premier League stalled, knockout football has provided a safe haven for the Lions, who followed up a Champions League last-16 appearance with a deserved FA Cup success over injury-hit Tottenham.

A masterclass from Morgan Rogers saw the former Middlesbrough man set up Jacob Ramsey's first-minute goal before scoring his own, and although Mathys Tel's first Spurs goal came deep into stoppage time, Villa booked their fifth-round ticket at the potential expense of Ange Postecoglou's second-season trophy prophecy.

With only the Premier League on their minds until the end of the month, a Villa side who have repeatedly struggled in top-flight action immediately after a European fixture must use last weekend's result as a springboard, especially as they now have three home games in a row on the menu.

Having gone winless in their last three Premier League games, most recently a controversial 2-0 defeat at West Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, Emery's men have slipped to eighth in the table, six points adrift of the top four.

However, the Lions still have a heavenly home pitch to fall back on ahead of Saturday's clash, having avoided defeat in each of their last 11 Premier League home games since August's 2-0 loss to Arsenal, their only defeat at Villa Park in the 2024-25 season.

On the other hand, Ipswich have picked up more Premier League points away from home this season than at Portman Road, and the Tractor Boys will once again be on the road after a very fruitful trip to the Coventry Building Society Arena.

To prevent last season's FA Cup semi-finalists from making another magical run to Wembley, Kieran McKenna's men decimated Frank Lampard's men 4-1 in the fourth round, with ex-Villa man Jaden Philogene capping a fine afternoon's work with a last-gasp winner.

The emphatic win was the perfect tonic for Ipswich, who have been on a four-game losing streak in the Premier League - most recently a 2-1 home defeat to basement club Southampton - and now sit 19th in the table, three points from safety.

Not since their Championship days in December 2011 have Ipswich suffered a worse run of defeats in the league, where the first goal against Ipswich is almost always fatal, and McKenna's men have taken just three points from losing positions in the 2024-25 season.

However, one of those came in September's clash with Villa at Portman Road, where Liam Delap was on target in a 2-2 draw, albeit one that extended Ipswich's winless run against the Lions to five since their Championship triumph in 2016-17.

Recent Performance

Aston Villa Premier League form:DWWDDL

Aston Villa form (all competitions):DLDWLW

Ipswich Town Premier League form:WDLLLL

Ipswich Town form (all competitions):WLLLLW

Team News

Villa's FA Cup win over Spurs came at a cost, with Ezri Konsa forced off in the first half with a muscular injury and ruled out for this game.

However, the Lions should be boosted by the return of Tyrone Mings (knee) and Ollie Watkins (groin), while Ross Barkley (calf), Amadou Onana (undisclosed), Pau Torres (ankle) and Matty Cash (undisclosed) remain sidelined.

Donyell Malen was expected to start up front in the FA Cup with Watkins unavailable, but one of two recent debutants - Marcus Rashford or Marco Asensio - could get their first Villa start here; each of the former's four Premier League goals for Manchester United this season have come against teams in the bottom six.

Villa and Ipswich will be sympathetic when it comes to fresh fitness concerns from FA Cup games; the visitors lost Sammie Szmodics in the 35th minute against Coventry, although his problem is not as serious as first feared.

Szmodics is not out for this game, but the same cannot be said for Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles), Wes Burns (knee), Christian Walton (groin) and Conor Chaplin (knee), although the latter could be back before the end of the month.

Fortunately for McKenna, both Julio Enciso and Omari Hutchinson are fit and ready to deputise for Szmodics if required, while new goalkeeper Alex Palmer is set to make his first Premier League start.

Possible starting lineup

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Garcia, Kamara, Disasi, Digne; McGinn, Tielemans; Asensio, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins

Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:

Palmer; Tuanzebe, O'Shea, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Philogene, Hutchinson, Clarke; Delap