A week ago this match would have been passed off as an FA Cup third-place play-off, but then Portsmouth went and did the absurd by beating Tottenham at Wembley with a under-strength side that had just found it had been relegated. It is, then, hard to predict what Avram Grant’s men will do next, but they can at least expect to be tested by an Aston Villa side that refuses to give up on Champions League qualification. Stephen Warnock should start for Villa despite hurting his leg in Wednesday’s draw with Everton. Sachin Nakrani

Venue Fratton Park, Sunday 4pm

Tickets £29-38 (0844 847 1898)

Last season Portsmouth 0 Aston Villa 1

Referee L Probert

This season’s matches 20 Y71, R4, 3.75 cards per game

Odds Portsmouth 5-1 Aston Villa 4-6 Draw 11-4

Portsmouth

Subs from Ashdown, Niemi, Finnan, Kanu, Yebda, Sowah, Ward, Wilson, Diop, Ritchie, Utaka, Dindane, Pack

Doubtful Boateng (ankle), Diop (knee), Mokoena (groin), Rocha (leg), Smith (nose), Yebda (knee)

Injured Belhadj (thigh, 24 Apr), Ben Haim (groin, 1 May), O’Hara (back, 1 May), Hreidarsson (achilles, Oct), Webber (knee, Oct)

Suspended None

Form guide DDLLWL

Disciplinary record Y70 R5

Leading scorers Dindane, Piquionne 5

Aston Villa

Subs from Guzan, L Young, Beye, Davies, Sidwell, Delph, Heskey, Delfouneso, Albrighton, Salifou, Reo-Coker, Clark

Doubtful Warnock (shin)

Injured Harewood (foot, Aug), Bouma (ankle, unknown)

Suspended None

Form guide DWLDDW

Disciplinary record Y53 R2

Leading scorer Agbonlahor 11

Match pointers

• Portsmouth have failed to score in their last three Premier League meetings with Aston Villa

• Villa have kept six clean sheets in their last nine top-flight away matches, though the other three saw them concede a total of 11 goals

• On this day in 1930 Portsmouth lost 2-1 at home to Villa in the old First Division

• Villa have the highest cross completion rate (23.6%) in the division this season

• Portsmouth are the first side to reach the final of the FA Cup and also be relegated since Middlesbrough in 1997

Premier LeaguePortsmouthAston Villaguardian.co.uk

The prospect of reaching two Wembley finals in the same season remains alive for Aston Villa but their passage into the last eight of the FA Cup was nothing like as comfortable as Martin O’Neill would have wished. Darren Ambrose’s second-half spot-kick threatened to take this fifth-round replay into extra-time before Matt Lawrence fouled John Carew twice in the last 10 minutes and invited the Norwegian to convert two penalties of his own.

Carew’s goals spared Villa another 30 minutes of football four days before the Carling Cup final and what amounts to the club’s biggest game for a decade. No one will have been more relieved that Stephen Warnock, whose reckless lunge on Alan Lee eight minutes earlier had allowed Ambrose to cancel out Gabriel Agbonlahor’s 14th goal of the season and give Palace hope of an unlikely upset. Instead Lawrence was left to lament the moments of madness that Carew ruthlessly punished.

O’Neill had admitted on the eve of this tie that he was pondering how strong a team he should name with the Manchester United game on the horizon and he clearly came to the conclusion that this was not a match to be taking chances. Four players were rested from the side that is likely to start on Sunday but the key figures, namely Richard Dunne, James Milner, Ashley Young and Agbonlahor, all featured from the outset.

The natural expectation was that a routine home victory would follow but it was 42 minutes before the breakthrough arrived after Villa spent much of the first half carving open Palace without adding a finishing touch. Julian Speroni had played his part in frustrating Villa, with the Palace keeper producing fine saves to deny Agbonlahor and Carew, although on other occasions Villa had only themselves to blame.

The move that culminated in Warnock rampaging clear on the left flank in the 29th minute was a case in point. Having swapped passes with Milner, Warnock only had to roll the ball into the path of Carew for an easy tap-in but he over-hit his centre and Palace earned a reprieve.

When the goal did finally come it could not have been more simple as Agbonlahor eluded Shaun Derry in a crowded area to head home Ashley Young’s corner from about six yards.

Still the large travelling following made themselves heard, their support admirable in the face of the club’s desperate financial plight. Things might get worse before they get better for Palace, with Neil Warnock expected to take over at Queens Park Rangers, but the manager’s name was chanted before and during this match. He almost had something to celebrate on the stroke of half-time but Nick Carle’s vicious shot from the edge of the area flashed inches wide.

When opportunities did come about Villa were unable to take advantage, Agbonlahor shooting tamely at Speroni before the Palace goalkeeper turned a curling Ashley Young effort behind. Palace, however, continued to probe and their persistence yielded an equaliser in the 72nd minute when Warnock caught Lee from behind following Johannes Ertl’s pass. Ambrose beat Guzan from the penalty spot but Palace’s jubilation proved ephemeral when Lawrence tugged at Carew’s shirt and then clattered into the striker.

FA CupAston VillaCrystal PalaceStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk