Afternoon all! The middle tie of today's FA Cup fourth-round trio takes place at Villa Park as Premier League strugglers Aston Villa host Championship high-flyers Bournemouth. To the team news...

VILLA XI: Given; Hutton, Okore, Clark, Richardson; Bacuna, Cleverley, Sanchez, Gil; Weimann, Benteke
Subs: Guzan, Baker, Westwood, Cissokho, Lowton, Burke, Grealish

That's six changes to the Villa side that suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Liverpool in their last game. In come Shay Given, Ciaran Clark, Kieran Richardson, Leandro Bacuna, Carles Gil and Andreas Weimann. For Gil, it's a full debut for his new club.

© Getty Images

BOURNEMOUTH XI: Camp; Smith, Elphick, Cook, Harte; Stanislas, Arter, O'Kane, MacDonald, Fraser; Kermorgant
Subs: Boruc, Francis, Ward, Surman, Ritchie, Wilson, Pitman

As for Bournemouth, Eddie Howe keeps just three players who started in Tuesday's defeat at Leeds United in the lineup today. They are centre-backs Tommy Elphick and Steve Cook and midfielder Harry Arter. The other eight are changes.

Warm-up well underway as the Villa lads are put through their paces. #AVFC #AFCB #FACup https://t.co/O80rZLW6fa

— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) January 25, 2015

Today's game certainly is a tough one to call, despite the fact that these two sides don't play in the same league. Bournemouth, despite a surprise loss at Leeds in midweek, still lead the way in the Championship after a fantastic season so far, while Villa are just three points above the drop zone in the top flight.

It will be interesting to see how Bournemouth approach this game. They are the country's leading scorers with 57 goals to their name in the league this term. Villa, meanwhile, are at the other end of the spectrum with just 11 league goals in 22 matches this season. Interesting, eh?

However, this Bournemouth side is a very different one to the one that has been so impressive in the league this season. A lot of their star players - Matt Ritchie and Callum Wilson to name a couple - only make the bench today. Can they still cause Villa problems?

Villa have been teasing their fans in the last few minutes with tweets like this. They will reveal the 'big news' in a couple of minutes' time. From the picture below, I think it's a new contract for Fabian Delph.

BIG PLAYER NEWS: Here's a little teaser for you. #AVFC pic.twitter.com/FmKh8FIp1o — Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) January 25, 2015

REFEREE WATCH: The man with the whistle today is perhaps the sternest of all referees in the country - Mike Dean.

BREAKING NEWS! As I predicted, Villa announce that England midfielder Delph has signed a new four-and-a-half year deal until the end of the 2018-19 season.

Anyway, back to the game. Villa and Bournemouth meet for the first time since their Second Division meeting in 1988 which Villa won 2-1. They have never met in the FA Cup.

PREDICTION TIME! Before the teams were announced, I was ready to predict a win for Bournemouth, but I'm not so sure because of how many changes Howe has made. So, instead, I'll sit on the fence and go for a 2-2 draw.

How did the two sides get here? Well, Bournemouth cruised past fellow Championship side Rotherham United 5-1, while Villa also faced a second-tier struggler in Blackpool and scraped a 1-0 win.

The two sides are out on the pitch and kickoff is just moments away in the Second City. After the crazy shocks yesterday, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see another one here. However, Villa will surely be spurred on a little more given how much 'weaker' the competition has got.

KICKOFF! On a lovely winter's day in Birmingham, we're underway. Villa in their traditional claret and blue, Bournemouth in their away kit of white tops, blacks shorts.

An even opening couple of minutes, with Bournemouth producing the first penalty-box action with Fraser's cross that was easily claimed by veteran Irishman Given.

SHOT! First effort at goal comes from right boot of MacDonald. It's a good hit from the Bournemouth man, but took a slight deflection and whizzed over the bar. Fraser has been very bright for the Cherries in the early stages.

SAVE! Bournemouth are enjoying plenty of room between the Villa defence and attack and the latest man to have a go is Arter. His low shot isn't hit as well as MacDonald's and Given makes a comfortable save. He's a centre-midfielder, but Arter knows where the goal is - last month he scored in five straight Championship games.

CLOSE! Villa have their first chance of the game and it's the best effort from either side as Hutton storms down the right and delivers an inviting cross that Weimann meets with a powerful header. He directs it low and hard, but not quite on target as it bounces agonisingly wide of the left post.

Bournemouth are furious with referee Dean! First, Kermorgant went down in a clash with Clark in the box, but the latter did get the ball before a tangle of legs. Moments later the visitors came forward again and this time Arter definitely got to the ball just before Clark and was taken out on the edge of the box. That should have been a free kick.

End-to-end stuff at the moment as Kermorgant's through-ball to Fraser is well cut-out by Okore before Villa surge forward down the left and eventually have a shot from Gil, whose effort was never troubling Camp. Good start to this game.

Fraser, who has been the best player on the park so far, wins Bournemouth a free kick about 35 yards from goal, but it comes to nothing as Cook was stood offside when Harte swung it in.

UPDATE: By the way, in today's first FA Cup game it's still Bristol City 0-0 West Ham United. We also have live build-up for Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Arsenal (kickoff 4pm) now underway.

OFF THE LINE! Bournemouth are a big toe away from taking the lead as MacDonald runs onto Arter's pass and rounds Given before his shot towards goal is just kept out by the outstretched foot of Richardson. Replays show that MacDonald was probably offside, but the linesman didn't raise his flag.

SHOT! Back come Villa and it's Weimann who threatens again with a low drive from 25 yards that flies past the post.

Villa have seen more of the ball early on (59%), but Bournemouth have had just as many shots (three) and got two of them on target compared to Villa's none on goal.

STAT: Villa have won the FA Cup seven times - the same amount as Liverpool and Chelsea. Only Arsenal (11), Manchester United (11) and Spurs (8) have won it more.

After a stale few minutes, Fraser wins Bournemouth another free kick, this time on the right. It's a better position for the left foot of Harte, but he overhits it slightly, giving Given an easy take in the six-yard box.

Cleverley with an inviting centre into the Bournemouth box, but there's no Villa player there looking to get on the end of it. We've barely seen anything of Benteke so far.

SAVE! Fine save low to his left by Given as he tips O'Kane's fizzing daisy-cutter wide of the post.

Arter at it this time as his shot takes a deflection and hits the side-netting. It all came after a careless pass in their own area by Villa, who are all over the place at the moment.

SHOT! Will Bournemouth end up regretting not making this pressure count? O'Kane with another shot after a short corner that curls a yard or so over the bar. Decent effort and Given was beaten.

The Cherries have now had six shots (three on target) to Villa's three (none on target). Howe's side have been very impressive, despite just three of their regular starting XI being present.

Villa win their first corner of the game (Bournemouth have had four) and it's a decent delivery from Gil that Bournemouth just about deal with.

UPDATE: By the way, there's been a goal at Ashton Gate and it doesn't look like we'll have another upset as Diafra Sakho puts West Ham in front with around 10 minutes to go.

Neat play down the right wing from Stanislas and Smith, with the latter producing a low cross that's begging to be fired home by a white shirt, but Kermorgant didn't quite make the right run.

Important tackle by Okore as he pokes the ball away from Kermorgant just as the French striker was about to pull the trigger after a fine slide-rule pass from O'Kane.

Bacuna with a wild effort from 30 yards. What was he doing shooting from there? Villa will be glad to be level if they can hold out until half time.

One minute of added time at the end of the first half.

HALF TIME: #avfc 0-0 #afcb. http://t.co/hRB1mbzUo1 #AVFCvAFCB pic.twitter.com/hiCtiAVN1q — AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth) January 25, 2015

If you're only just joining us and want a quick recap of the first half, check out our HT report.

In a sentence: Villa have gone close on a couple of occasions, but it's Championship leaders Bournemouth who have been much more threatening and probably should be in front.

UPDATE: In today's earlier FA Cup kickoff, Sakho's goal in the final 10 minutes was enough to send West Ham through. With the top three out and many others unconvincing, are West Ham a good bet to go all the way?

By the way, the fifth-round draw will be made tomorrow night. Will it be Villa, Bournemouth or both sides that go into the hat?

Bournemouth played so well in the first half, but they also have options on the bench if they feel that they really need a goal. Villa, meanwhile, probably have their best attacking players on the pitch already.

KICKOFF! We're back underway at Villa Park. No changes from either side at the break.

SIDE-NETTING! Bright start to the second half by Villa and they probably should take the lead as Benteke takes far too long to get off a shot before teeing up Gil, who cuts back onto his stronger left foot and slaps it into the side-netting.

UPDATE: A goal inside two minutes on the South coast as Theo Walcott puts Arsenal in front against Brighton.

Goodness gracious me, what a goal! It's Villa's first shot on target as new boy Gil cuts inside onto his left foot and curls home a delightful shot into the far corner. Fabulous stuff from the man who recently arrived from Valencia.

That really is some way to score your first goal on your first start. It was also Villa's first goal since their solitary strike in the third round against Blackpool earlier this month.

That goal hasn't knocked the wind out of Bournemouth's sails, far from it in fact. The Cherries are keen to get back on level terms and are doing plenty of pressing at the moment.

A break in play as Fraser stays down on the left wing. Howe is preparing a couple of subs, will Fraser not be able to continue? He'd been ever so impressive so far.

BOURNEMOUTH SUBS: Fraser stays on, but Harte and Kermorgant go off to be replaced by two of Bournemouth's most consistent performers - Simon Francis and Callum Wilson. Francis is a right-back, so Smith will switch wings and go to left-back. Wilson for Kermorgant is a like-for-like change up top.

BOOKING! First yellow card of the game is shown to Hutton after he impeded Wilson who was charging down the left at full-pelt.

The resulting free kick comes to nothing as Cook meets the deep delivery but can only nod into the gloves of Given.

Francis is arguably the best attacking full-back in the Championship and he shows why with a vicious cross from the right that Villa have to head out for a corner.

It's been a good response to going behind by Bournemouth, but they haven't created any chances as good as the ones they had in the first half. Expect to see Matt Ritchie come off the bench soon.

Villa double their lead and surely that's the cup tie sewn up? Another lovely goal from the hosts as Hutton is slipped in down the right and he cuts back for Weimann, who connects sweetly with his left-foot after opening his body to find the far corner. It's harsh on Bournemouth, but that's how you finish.

Here's Gil celebrating his first Villa goal. What a strike it was.

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CLOSE! Bournemouth need a quick goal if they're to have any chance of mounting a comeback and they almost find one as Smith swings in a lovely cross from the left that is just ahead of Stanislas at the back post. The winger had got in front of a snoozing Richardson and was so close to prodding home.

BOURNEMOUTH SUB: As expected, Ritchie is Bournemouth's third and final change as he replaces Stanislas. The winger has more assists than anyone else in the Championship this season. Villa are still yet to make any changes.

Excellent defending by Okore, who I've just learned picked up a yellow card at the same time as Hutton for dissent. He could have easily barged Fraser over, but watched the ball carefully to take it off the winger.

It looks like Bournemouth will lose here and even though Howe will say after the match that the league is their main priority, this will make it three defeats in four games.

Wilson is tackled by Clark just as he was about to shoot inside the area, but it wouldn't have counted anyway as the linesman had his flag up for offside.

A frustrated Wilson barges over Clark in the corner, giving Villa time to whittle away the clock as they close in on a rare win including good goals!

VILLA SUB: Lambert makes his first change and gives the home crowd the opportunity to give Gil a standing ovation as he is replaced by Ashley Westwood.

SIDE-NETTING! Francis goes for the spectacular from a tight angle and the Bournemouth fans think it might be in as the net bulges. Unfortunately, it was the wrong side of the post.

Four minutes added on at Villa Park. A comeback is still possible, but Bournemouth don't look like they believe they can do it.

Maybe they do believe! Wilson with a clever outside-of-the-boot finish to turn home Smith's low cross at the near post. There's not long to go!

CHANCE! Bournemouth are piling bodies forward and they leave themselves completely exposed at the back. Benteke finds the run of Westwood and he should put the icing on the cake but can't beat Camp.

VILLA SUB: A last-minute change by the home side as Jack Grealish replaces Bacuna.

Villa see out the remaining seconds in the corner to book their place in the fifth round. Bournemouth were better in the first half, but they couldn't take their chances and fell to a pair of lovely goals from Villa.

That performance will be hugely encouraging to Villa as they look to climb up the Premier League table. Their goal struggles have been well documented this season, but they scored a pair of peaches today. Gil's, especially, was right out of the top draw and Villa fans will be hoping there's much more of that from him this season. Warning to clubs in the Premier League: He has an excellent left peg and likes to cut inside onto it from the right. Don't say I didn't warn you.

© Getty Images

As for Bournemouth, it's three defeats in four games for the Cherries, but Howe's men are still top of the Championship with their eyes firmly set on promotion to the Premier League. It's not inconceivable that these two sides could be swapping divisions next season.

Anyway, time for us to say goodbye. Thanks for joining SM for updates. A reminder that the fifth-round draw is tomorrow night at around 7pm and we'll have news of that when it breaks. Why not now head this way for the second half of Brighton (0-2) Arsenal. Enjoy!