Aston Villa v West Ham United
Emirates FA Cup, Villa Park, Friday 10 January 2025, 8pm GMT
All eyes will be on Villa Park this Friday, as West Ham United get their Emirates FA Cup campaign underway, visiting Premier League rivals Aston Villa for a third-round tie in front of the ITV cameras.
Those cameras will undoubtedly be focused on Graham Potter, who was unveiled as West Ham's new Head Coach on Thursday morning.
The Irons have faced Villa three times previously in the FA Cup. The first-ever meeting between the two clubs was a second-round tie in February 1913, which Villa won 5-0. The Villans won a fourth-round match 3-0 at Villa Park in January 1977, before West Ham famously triumphed 1-0 in a sixth-round tie at the Boleyn Ground in March 1980 on the way to lifting the trophy.
West Ham have won the FA Cup three times in the Club’s history. After triumphs over second-tier Preston North End and Fulham in 1964 and 1975 respectively, the most recent FA Cup win came in 1980, when a Trevor Brooking header memorably saw the Second Division Irons beat top-flight Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley Stadium.
The Hammers are one of 64 clubs who remain in contention to lift the famous trophy in May, with the 20 Premier League sides and 24 EFL Championship teams joining 20 from Leagues One and Two and the non-league ranks in the third round.
We last reached an FA Cup final in 2006 but lost to Liverpool on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, while Villa are seven-time winners of the FA Cup, last lifting the trophy in 1957.
All signs point to an exciting all-Premier League match-up, with Potter hoping to kick-off his reign with a noteable victory over Unai Emery's Villa.
Tickets…
Our allocation 5,674 tickets sold out to Away Scheme Members, Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 2+ Loyalty Points. All tickets will be issued in an NFC digital format for this fixture.
Supporters under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult when entering Villa Park.
Watch the new Head Coach's 's first home game against Fulham in the Premier League on Tuesday 14 January. Tickets for Adults start from £20 - buy now HERE.
Travel…
With this being a Friday evening ixture, West Ham United supporters will likely opt to drive to the game, as public transport links back to London after the final whistle are extremely limited.
The address for your sat nav is Villa Park, Trinity Rd, Birmingham, B6 6HE. However, there is next to no parking available at the ground, and a traffic exclusion zone is imposed around the stadium on matchdays from two hours prior to kick-off until up to 60 minutes after the final whistle.
Official parking is available at Aston Social Club in Aston Hall Road (postcode B6 7JU) and Powerleague Birmingham in Lichfield Road (postcode B6 7TG).
Any supporters with accessibility requirements should contact our Disabled Liaison Officer on 0333 323 1874 for information on disabled parking. Parking needs to be booked in advance of the match.
For those travelling by train, the nearest stations are Witton and Aston, both of which are on lines from Birmingham New Street. Direct trains from London Euston to New Street leave at 13.56, 14.10, 14.16, 14.23 and 14.40. After the game, direct services leave New Street at 22.17 and 23.11.
How To Follow…
West Ham United’s away Emirates FA Cup third-round tie at Aston Villa has been selected for broadcast in the United Kingdom by ITV.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the UK on talkSPORT, BBC Radio 5 Live and worldwide on our official website and app.
Team News…
Emerson was consigned to the sidelines through injury on Saturday, while Jean-Clair Todibo, who started the Premier League game at Manchester City, was withdrawn at half-time, and will need to be assessed ahead of the Villa clash.
Łukasz Fabiański could be available for selection in the West Midlands, having been absent from the Liverpool and City defeats after suffering a head injury in the first half at Southampton on Boxing Day, but will also be checked.
Captain Jarrod Bowen sustained a fractured foot injury against Liverpool, and is set to be missing at Villa Park, and forward Michail Antonio remains on the sidelines following his car accident in early December.
For Aston Villa, John McGinn was withdrawn after just 19 minutes during the 2-1 victory over Leicester City at the weekend after tweaking his hamstring, while Jhon Durán is sidelined through suspension.
Pau Torres is absent for two months after breaking his foot against Brighton & Hove Albion, while Diego Carlos is also facing a battle to be fit.
Opposition…
Aston Villa continue to ride a wave of excitement and positivity that has swept over them since former Arsenal boss Unai Emery took the reins in the Midlands a little under two years ago.
When the serial UEFA Europa League-winning coach made the switch from La Liga side Villarreal in October 2022, his task was to return Villa to the heights of a 1982 European Cup-winning outfit and a club that boasts seven League Championships in their trophy cabinet.
While a long-term goal, Emery had made a blistering impact by the end of the 2022/23 campaign, taking Villa from 14th in the Premier League, and three points above the bottom three, to seventh by season’s end, securing a return to continental competition for the first time in 13 years.
A first summer at the helm allowed Emery to better mould his squad to his own liking ahead of 2023/24, and while they powered all the way to the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals, where they lost out to eventual champions Olympiacos, Villa’s incredible Premier League form saw them sit just one point off the top after 17 matches played, and earmarked as genuine title contenders by some.
Ultimately, the title eluded them, and a four-game winless run at the end of term was somewhat uncharacteristic of an otherwise joyous year, but they indeed did enough to secure fourth and UEFA Champions League qualification.
The Villains have enjoyed a strong start to life back in Europe's top club competition, having earned 13 points from their first six matches, including victories over FC Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, strengthening their hopes of a top-eight finish with two games to play.
In the Premier League, Aston Villa sit three points off fifth place, which could be good enough for Champions League qualification this season, after a haul of 32 points from their opening 20 matches.
Previous Meetings…
Our most recent visit was that 4-1 Premier League defeat on 22 October 2023, which Aston Villa secured through a Douglas Luiz brace plus goals from Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey.
Prior to that, West Ham United were unbeaten in our last five visits to Villa Park in the Premier League, winning the most recent three by 1-0, 4-1 and 3-1 scorelines.
Pablo Fornals got the only goal at Villa Park in the 2022/23, and also netted in the 4-1 in the previous campaign in which Ben Johnson, Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen also scored.
We also won 2-0 there in the Premier League in February 2014, when Kevin Nolan eased the Irons’ relegation fears with a double strike.
Our best-ever result at Villa Park was a 5-1 First Division victory scored in April 1927, when Vic Watson (two), Stan Earle, Joseph Johnson and Jimmy Ruffell shared the visitors’ goals.
Overall, our biggest top-flight win over Villa came in August 1958, when Ted Fenton’s newly promoted Hammers thrashed their opponents 7-2 in the First Division at the Boleyn Ground, where Vic Keeble, John Dick and Malcolm Musgrove each scored twice.
Emirates FA Cup Rules...
There are no replays in the from the Emirates FA Cup first round proper onwards, so if the scores are level after 90 minutes, then 30 minutes of extra-time will be played. If the scores remain level after extra-time, then the winner will be decided by penalties.
Each team will be able to name nine substitutes, of whom five can be used in three opportunities during normal time (excluding any substitutions made at half-time). If extra-time is played, an extra substitution opportunity is added (excluding any substitutions made between full-time and extra-time and during half-time of extra-time).
If a player suffers a concussion (or potential concussion) Clubs are permitted to make one additional substitution in accordance with the relevant IFAB protocol. Any such concussion substitutions are in addition to the five normal substitutions permitted.
Goal Line Technology (GLT) will be in operation for our third-round tie at Villa Park, but Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will only be used from the fifth round onwards, so it will not be in operation in the West Midlands.
Finally, Aston Villa are wearing a special 150th anniversary commemorative kit of black shirts, white shorts and black socks for the visit of West Ham, who will wear our Third kit.
Match Officials…
Referee: Tim Robinson
Assistant Referees: Timothy Wood and Steven Meredith
Fourth Official: Bobby Madley
Tim Robinson has been confirmed as the referee for Friday’s Emirates FA Cup third-round match away at Aston Villa.
One of the Premier League’s newest regular officials, Robinson took charge of his first top-flight match in December 2019, a 1-0 win for Burnley over Newcastle United, and was promoted to Select Group One ahead of the 2023/24 season.
The official from West Sussex refereed 21 top-tier matches last season, giving out 89 yellow cards, but showing zero reds. He will referee a West Ham game for a second time this season, having taken charge of our 1-1 Premier League draw at Fulham in September, while he served as the fourth official for our home games against Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Previously, Robinson took charge of the EFL League One Play-Off final in 2022/23, as Sheffield Wednesday beat Barnsley 1-0 after extra-time at Wembley Stadium.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
