Paul Merson has given his prediction for the FA Cup clash between Aston Villa and Swansea on Saturday.
Talking on Sky Sports (Fri, 1130am), Merson said that he thinks that home advantage will be the key for Dean Smith’s men.
“I think Aston Villa win this,” Merson said. “I think home advantage will be too much for Swansea.”
He predicted a 2-0 scoreline in favour of the home side.
OPINION
Gone are the glory days of the FA Cup. We can still remember when this weekend was one of the highlights of the season, when all the clubs from the lower leagues dreamed of a big cup run and ties against Premier League giants. Now it’s a distraction from where the money is for Championship sides like Aston Villa and Swansea. Would they love a good cup run? Absolutely, if it didn’t interfere with their push for promotion and the riches of the Premier League. Both these sides are in with a shot at the play-offs and that will be their number one priority. With this fixture coming on the back of the hectic Christmas schedule we can see both sides making changes and it could come down to the quality on the team sheets. However, given that both sides are likely to change we’ll go along with Merson and say that home advantage will be enough to put Villa in the draw for the next round.