What is it about Villa drawing unpopular teams? First, RB Leipzig 🇩🇪, then Maccabi Tel Aviv 🇮🇱 and now the bete noire of Austrian football, Red Bull Salzburg 🇦🇹. Despite Red Bull's billions, the real Salzburg (pictured) still hold the high-water mark for the club: runners-up to Inter Milan 🇮🇹 in the 1994 UEFA Cup final.

The draw for the Fifth Round of the FA Youth Cup has been made, and the winners of next Tuesday’s tie against Fleetwood will face a home draw against either Southend or Wrexham u18 and Villa will travel to West Ham on Tuesday, 3rd February in the Premier League Cup Quarter-Final,

So it's Newcastle United at home in the 4th Round of the 2025-26 FA Cup. If any tie has had an impact on the ultimate destination of the FA Cup, it is this one. Villa and Newcastle have met one another six times in the FA Cup (excluding replays). On five of the six occasions the two teams have met in the competition, one or the other of Villa or Newcastle has gone on to win the FA Cup. Villa's double winning squad of 1896-97 having beaten Newcastle in the FA Cup First Round.

The u18s face Spurs in the u18 Premier League on Wednesday before the u21s travel to Derby in PL2 on Friday. With no Saturday game, it's Villa Everton at VP as we try to close the gap on leaders Arsenal, but there's a tough fixture in the WSL away to Arsenal.

Of course, we all know that Manchester City will draw a home tie against the lowest-ranking team in the competition... but is the FA Cup draw really as biased against Villa as many of us think? The FA Cup fourth round proper draw will be made on Monday 12 January 2026. Some facts and a completely unscientific prediction.

Domestic cups haven't been kind to Villa in recent years, but neither have Villa been kind to domestic cups. Villa's fifth successive away game in London could throw up a freak Cup result, but aside of a performance like the first 30 minutes of the second-half against Palace, Villa should qualify for the fourth round with room to spare.

The u21s visit to Brighton in PL2 on Friday is ⚠️ Postponed ⚠️ 🌨️. But, Saturday sees Villa open their 2025-26 FA Cup campaign at Tottenham. Sunday sees a double header as the Women meet Brighton at VP and the u18s take on Reading at Bodymoor.

Palace are 15 points behind Villa, 14th in the table, and are on a three-game losing run having not won at Selhurst in the League since 1st November and having not won a League game at all since 7th December.

Forest are twenty-one points behind Villa after nineteen games and are on a three-game losing run coming into this game. Three points for the visitors then.

Villa could move level on points with leaders Arsenal at the top of the table, or could move six points behind Villa could create a club record 12th consecutive win, or Villa could lose for the first time in twelve

Match: #5807 Season: 2025-26 Matchday: #25 League Game: #18 Manager Game: #165 Date: Saturday, 27 December 2025 Manager: Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 | Hondarribia, 2022- Referee: Stuart Attwell | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Nuneaton, 2009- Kick off: 5.30pm

Match Details: Match: #5806 Season: 2025-26 Matchday: #24 League Game: #17 Manager Game: #164 Date: Sunday, 21 December 2025 Manager: Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 | Hondarribia, 2022- Referee: Michael Oliver | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Northumberland, 2010- Kick off: 4.30pm

Villa face Arsenal away in the Women's FA Cup, with the tie scheduled for the weekend of January 17th, 2026.

To the likely shock of no-one, Villa are drawn away to Premier League opposition in the third round of the 2025-26 FA Cup.

Villa go into the game tonight in search of their 2,000th League win having chalked up 1,999 since founding the Football League in 1888...