FA Cup Fourth Round Preview
Aston Villa made sure of their place in the Carling Cup final in dramatic fashion this week and now will continue with the FA Cup.
Villa will take on Brighton in the fourth round, three days after their 6-4 Carling Cup victory over Blackburn which secured a 7-4 aggregate win and a place in next month's Wembley showpiece.
The quest for a top-four finish in the Barclays Premier League may remain Villa's priority, however their cup exploits are proving a welcome diversion.
Manager Martin O'Neill hailed a "sensational" performance from Villa midfielder James Milner in the second leg of the Blackburn clash.
Milner, having been switched from his usual flank role to a central position, gave an outstanding display as Villa fought back from 2-0 down on the night.
Milner scored a penalty and Stephen Warnock, a Steven Nzonzi own goal, Emile Heskey, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young completed the scoring for the home side.
O'Neill said: "Milner was sensational. He is a character and a half and his game has reached a new level. There is no question about that.
"He is seeing the passes, moving into positions even though he hasn't played central midfield even 15 times yet.
"I think that is his position. He has moved his game on again. He gets into shooting positions as well.
"He said himself at the start of the season that he could score more goals but sometimes you have to be in a certain position to do that.
"If you are wide and crossing things in, it is hard obviously. His overall game from centre midfield has been fantastic."
With Manchester United and Liverpool already out of the FA Cup, Chelsea are strongly fancied to reach Wembley, however they face a potentially tricky away match at Preston.
Deepdale is sold out for the visit of Carlo Ancelotti's team, who appear to have recovered from a spell of patchy form which affected them in December.
Chelsea are targeting Premier League and Champions League glory this season, as well as success in the FA Cup, however midfielder Frank Lampard is not taking anything for granted.
He said this week: "We know that if we lose the standards that we have at the moment then we could lose everything."
Tottenham face a Leeds side who dumped Manchester United out in the third round, and Spurs manager Harry Redknapp will want a stronger showing from his side than they gave at Anfield last night, where they lost 2-0 to Liverpool in the league.
Two all-Premier League ties take place on Saturday, with Everton at home to Birmingham and Sunderland travelling to Portsmouth. Top-flight Fulham take on minnows Accrington Stanley, Bolton meet Sheffield United, and Notts County host Wigan, with Magpies director of football Sven-Goran Eriksson hoping to see the League Two club spring a shock. Saturday's other matches see Wolves face Crystal Palace, Cardiff play Leicester, Derby tackle Doncaster, Reading oppose Burnley, Southampton take on Ipswich and West Brom tackle Newcastle.
Arsenal, who moved to the top of the Premier League with their 4-2 win over Bolton last night, head to Stoke on Sunday. On the same day Manchester City will look to avoid a cup shock when they take on Scunthorpe at Glanford Park.
Saturday's Fourth Round Match Previews
Bolton Wanderers vs Sheffield United
Cardiff City vs Leicester City
Derby County vs Doncaster Rovers
Notts County vs Wigan Athletic
Sunday's Fourth Round Match Previews
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