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Chris Hutcheon previews today’s 4pm kick off in the FA Cup as Reading host Aston Villa for a place in the last four at Wembley.
Having suffered heartbreak in the Carling Cup last weekend, Aston Villa will be desperate for another trip to Wembley and at 17/20 with Jaxx.com they look set to book themselves an FA Cup semi-final berth at the expense of Victor Chandler’s 7/2 outsiders Reading, despite the Royals’ excellent performances in the competition to date.
Nevertheless, Villa found life tough at Crystal Palace in the previous round and Brian McDermott’s men can prove to be almost as stubborn, meaning Martin O’Neill’s side may have to settle for a victory by a one-goal margin (5/2, William Hill).
A 2-1 Aston Villa triumph at 8/1 with 888Sport falls into that category and that result shouldn’t be ruled out in a potentially close affair in which both sides should get on the scoresheet (5/6, Ladbrokes).
With 14 goals to his name already this term, and two in his last three outings, Gabriel Agbonlahor can make an impact at the Madejski Stadium; the speedy striker catching the eye at 9/2 with Betfred to notch first and 13/10 (Paddy Power) to find the net.
That opener could arrive early in proceedings too given that four for Villa’s last five have seen the deadlock broken inside the first half an hour, and Totesport offer a generous even money for that sequence to continue in a contest that also looks set to produce three or more goals (evens, Betdaq).
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