This weekend sees the third round of the FA Cup transpire, and this is the portion where the big boys come in to the competition. West Ham United travels to Aston Villa for one of the more intriguing and interesting ties on the docket. Both sides are in a place right now where they don’t want to be.
Getting the world’s oldest domestic competition started on the right foot, with a win, would be huge for both Villa’s Unai Emery and West Ham’s Julen Lopetegui.
FA Cup 3rd Round FYIs
Kickoff: Fri. Jan. 10, 8pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Team News: West Ham United Aston Villa
Starting XI Predictions: West Ham United Aston Villa
Fun Fact: If Aston Villa wins here, it’ll be their first time they’ve advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup in back to back years since 2014-16.
Let’s take a look at what Emery could go with here, given that he might do some squad rotation in this one. With all the injuries and suspensions on his hands, he’ll do his best to try and keep legs fresh.
Aston Villa Starting XI Prediction vs West Ham (FA Cup)
Robin Olsen; Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, Ian Maatsen; Emiliano Buendia, Boubacar Kamara; Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans, Leon Bailey; Ollie Watkins
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.