AFC Bournemouth

Bournemouth v Aston Villa Carabao Cup preview: TV, form, prediction and travel

Bournemouth v Aston Villa is a Carabao Cup fourth-round meeting between sides carrying encouraging recent results into a competition that now offers a direct route to the quarter-finals.

Archive interior photograph of Dean Court

Bournemouth v Aston Villa

Dean CourtKick-off: Wednesday 28 October, 19:45 GMTUK TV: Sky Sports+

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Fan Banter Prediction · 90 minutes

Draw after 90 minutes.

Both sides arrive with recent wins and the latest league meeting finished level. Home advantage gives Bournemouth a chance to keep a closely matched tie alive.

Away-fan travel · 167 miles · allow about 4h 15m by carEstimated road journey · Villa Park → Dean Court

OUTWARD · ARRIVE 90–60 MINUTES BEFORE KICK-OFFWed 14:15 leave → Wed 18:15–18:45 arrive

RETURN · BACK AT THE AWAY CLUB’S GROUNDWed 22:15 leave → Thu 02:30 back

Bournemouth v Aston Villa Carabao Cup preview: 167-mile road journey and 4 league places between the clubs

Bournemouth v Aston Villa is a Carabao Cup fourth-round meeting between sides carrying encouraging recent results into a competition that now offers a direct route to the quarter-finals.

4 league places between the sides.
Bournemouth: 13th in Premier League. Aston Villa: 9th in Premier League. Both positions are from the same league table.

Team news: injuries, suspensions and availability

Bournemouth: Alex Scott remains an absentee for Bournemouth, with Veljko Milosavljevic, Julian Araujo and Alex Toth also on the injury list. Eli Junior Kroupi has been moving closer to a return, but his involvement still needs confirmation.

Aston Villa: Villa are missing Amadou Onana, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Matteo Ruggeri. That reduces Unai Emery’s options, particularly in defence, without making any proposed replacement a confirmed starter. The final squad will establish whether the players returning towards full fitness are ready for this tie.

Latest available updates checked 26 October 2026 · Bournemouth and Villa fitness updates · Additional match-specific injury checks

Match preview: where the tie could be decided

Villa are ninth in the Premier League and Bournemouth 13th, a four-place gap that gives this tie a different shape from the round’s cross-division fixtures. Bournemouth’s 3–0 league win at Manchester United and 3–0 European victory over Milan provide evidence of what they can produce when their attacking moments come together. At home, they will want to sustain that threat without making the game unnecessarily open.

Villa’s recent 2–1 victory over Manchester City is an equally persuasive result, followed by a 3–1 European win against Viking. They also won 3–1 at Coventry in the previous cup round. That sequence gives the visitors reasons for confidence, but a new away tie still requires them to manage Bournemouth’s momentum and the changing demands of a knockout match.

The most recent league meeting ended 1–1. It is one reason to expect a competitive evening, although neither that draw nor the league table settles the question of selection or performance here. Bournemouth can make the home setting count by forcing Villa to defend repeated attacks; Villa will look to retain enough control to prevent the match becoming a succession of transitions. A level score after 90 minutes would send this one straight to penalties.

How both teams reached the fourth round

Bournemouth beat Lincoln 4–0 in round three; Villa won 3–1 at Coventry. Both have already avoided a potential lower-division upset and now face opposition from their own league.

When is the Carabao Cup quarter-final draw?

The draw takes place on Wednesday 28 October, after Liverpool v Chelsea on Sky Sports. Dave Jones hosts, with Conor Coady and Graeme Le Saux making the draw. There is no fixed draw time: the 8pm match could go to penalties. Quarter-final ties are scheduled for the week commencing 14 December 2026.

This fourth-round tie has no extra time: if the scores are level after 90 minutes, it goes straight to penalties. The prediction and supporter poll above refer to the score after 90 minutes, rather than which team qualifies.

What is the financial reward for a cup run?

There is no fixed prize-fund payment for winning this fourth-round tie. The reported competition awards are £100,000 for the winners, £50,000 for the runners-up and £25,000 for losing semi-finalists. Those are awards for the finishing stage, rather than a cumulative payment for every round.

The clubs also share net gate receipts after permitted match costs. Television selections can bring facility fees, with the amount depending on the round and broadcast arrangements. Those sources of income are separate from prize money.

Image credits

Stadium photo: Matthew Jackson · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped for layout · cropped. Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors / OSRM. Trophy: VEO15 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · adapted.