FA Cup 3rd Round Preview: Aston Villa v Blackpool

Who are we playing?
Blackpool on Sunday 4th January at 3pm

Where are we playing?
Villa Park

Can I go?
Tickets are cheap and plentiful

Easy to get to?
Should be an absolute doddle, though the trains can be shite on Sundays

Can I watch it on telly?
Not on the list of games to be screened on UK telly and with the FA Cup, there is no guarantee that the game will be screened live overseas, no a live stream can't be guaranteed. Best bet is haul your arse down Villa Park and watch the game in the flesh.

Big game?
We last won the FA Cup in 1957 and we've precious little chance of winning it under Paul Lambert's hapless leadership.

This season's limp display from a weakened side as we slumped out to a second string Leyton Orient in the League Cup was not a one off. Lambert's cup record for Villa against "inferior" opposition is fucking woeful.

A poor Blackpool side are plumb bottom of the Championship and there can be NO EXCUSES if we lose to them.

Do the Tangerines have any famous fans? 

Nolans don't make waves...

Apparently not. It has been said that some of The Nolan Sisters are Blackpool fans, but we're not even sure they count as famous anymore...

We've got fiddle playing scruffbox Nigel Kennedy.

So we win.

Who's playing for us?
Gawd knows. Players returning from loan (unless we send them back out again) may give Paul Lambert more scope to rotate his squad, something injuries and suspensions have hampered of late.

We'd be hugely tempted to give both Callum Robinson and Jack Grealish a proper run out but who knows what goes on in Lambo's head.

He will claim whoever he plays was "excellent" even if we get knocked out, because the bloke is a knobhead.



Who's playing for them?
Dunno but they've got Nathan Delfouneso on their books and we'll be hoping the the magic of the cup doesn't transform him into a goal scorer.

Any useless stats?
Of course, here you go:

• Blackpool have beaten us 21 times while we have 28 wins. There have been 17 draws.

• Our previous FA Cup encounter with Blackpool was on 22 January 1938 in the fourth round. We won the match 4-0, Eric Houghton amongst the scorers.

• Blackpool haven't beaten us since a 2-1 win at their place in 1974. Chico Hamilton got our goal.

• James Collins got the last gasp winner the last time we beat Blackpool, a 3-2 victory in November 2010.

Prediction
Going for a 1-1 draw and an awkward replay to negotiate