Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of this afternoon's clash between Aston Villa and Leicester City in the FA Cup fifth round. These two sides are currently struggling in the Premier League, but they will both be looking to bring some cheer to their fans with progress in this competition. Team news should be through shortly.

LEICESTER: Schwarzer; Simpson, Wasilewski, Morgan, Upson; Konchesky, Mahrez, Cambiasso, James, Schlupp; Kramaric

LEICESTER SUBS: Hamer, Hammond, Vardy, King, Albrighton, Moore, Ulloa

After seeing his side slip to a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal in midweek, Leicester boss Nigel Pearson has made just the one change for today's game as Marcin Wasilewski replaces the cup-tied Robert Huth in defence. Meanwhile, Leonardo Ulloa, Jamie Vardy and former Villa winger Marc Albrighton are among the substitutes.

Of course, the biggest angle concerning this afternoon's game is the appointment of Tim Sherwood as Aston Villa's new manager. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss has signed a deal until 2018 at Villa Park following Paul Lambert's sacking earlier this week. However, it is understood that Sherwood will be watching the match from the stand and not in the dugout. First-team coach Scott Marshall and goalkeeping coach Andy Marshall have been in temporary charge of the side over the last few days.

ASTON VILLA: Given; Hutton, Cissokho, Clark, Vlaar; Bacuna, Cleverley, Westwood, Delph, Weimann; Benteke

ASTON VILLA SUBS: Guzan, Okore, Sinclair, Cole, Sanchez, Lowton, Grealish

Following their disappointing 2-0 loss at Hull City in the Premier League in midweek, Aston Villa make five changes this afternoon. Shay Given, Ron Vlaar, Leandro Bacuna, Tom Cleverley and Christian Benteke are all recalled, while the likes of Scott Sinclair, Joe Cole and Carlos Sanchez are on the bench.

He may not be in the dugout today, but you would expect Tim Sherwood's presence in the ground to give the Villa fans and players a lift. And boy do they need it. The Villans slipped into the relegation zone with that loss to Hull in midweek, leading to Paul Lambert's sacking. Many of the supporters will be pleased that the Scot is gone, but they will also be aware that there is a lot of work to be done if the team is to stay in the top flight.

While Aston Villa have made changes to their management setup, Nigel Pearson still remains Leicester boss. Just. The former defender was rumoured to have been sacked last week before the club confirmed that he was still in charge. The Foxes are currently at the bottom of the Premier League table thanks to four straight defeats, but Pearson has called on his players to build confidence in the FA Cup.

"When you're not winning in the league, then the cup competitions will give you an opportunity to win games, which hopefully build confidence. For the players at the moment, they will get my full support, but they need to produce performances themselves. It's not just about trying to win each game, it's very much about our perspective of the season. We still have enough games, in terms of our Premier League status, for it to be in our hands. The players have a responsibility to go out there and perform."

Leicester have certainly had to work for their place in the fifth round of the competition after seeing off fellow Premier League sides Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur. Their game in the last round against Spurs was particularly sweet for the Foxes as they scored two late goals to claim a sensational 2-1 victory.

Villa's passage into the last 16 has been a bit more simple, on paper at least. They scraped past Blackpool 1-0 in the third round before earning a 2-1 win at home to Championship leaders Bournemouth in the last round.

Aston Villa first-team coach Scott Marshall: "The FA Cup match is a break from that but it's an opportunity to progress and you're not a million miles away from Wembley.

"The boys are looking forward to the game at the weekend. They are top players and will be determined to put in a top performance.

"I think victory can give you momentum. If you're winning games, you can build on that, irrespective of whether it's the Premier League or the FA Cup. If you win a game of football, you take confidence from that. That's what the group will be looking to do this weekend."

HEAD TO HEAD: It's Leicester who have the better record when it comes to past meetings between these side, winning 39 games compared to 29 for Villa. There have also been a total of 22 draws.

Villa and Leicester have already faced each other twice in the Premier League this season, with both sides picking up a win each. Villa saw off Leicester 2-1 on home turf in December, but the Foxes got their revenge last month with a 1-0 triumph at the King Power Stadium. The Villans have been more dominant overall in recent times though, winning four of their last six encounters with Leicester.

So, who are likely to be the key men today? Villa are obviously going to be looking at Christian Benteke to ruffle a few feathers in the Leicester defence, but as you can can see, the Belgian striker is really struggling at the moment. If Benteke is having an off day, it could well fall to the likes of Weimann and Delp to push the hosts on. Meanwhile, Andrej Kramaric will be eager to get on the scoresheet against for Leicester after scoring his first goal for the club against Arsenal in midweek. Schlupp and Mahrez could also be important for the visitors.

The fans are starting to fill up Villa Park as we head closer towards kickoff. Just another point regarding Sherwood: a few of the Villa players will be keen to impress their new manager this afternoon as he watches on from the stand. They will be fully aware that Sherwood doesn't take any rubbish from anybody, and they know that poor performances will see them taken out of the team.

The players are starting to emerge in the tunnel as kickoff fast approaches. Ron Vlaar returns to lead the home side today, while Wes Morgan skippers Leicester. Not long to go now before these Midlands rivals go head to head.

KICKOFF! The teams are out, the pre-match handshakes have been done, and it will be Leicester to get us underway. Here we go!

Villa have started this game positively, putting Leicester on the back foot early on. The hosts win a corner that the visitors struggle to deal with, though the ball is eventually hoofed away.

Villa are still dominating possession, forcing Leicester back towards their own goal. The home side create themselves a half-chance as Hutton hits a low cross in to Weimann, who is waiting on the edge of the box, though he can only smash his shot high over the crossbar. The Austrian possibly made more time than he realised there.

The visitors have shown a bit more fight in the last couple of moments as they venture forward towards the Villa goal. The ball drops to Cambiasso on the edge of the area following a quick attack, but the experienced Argentine gets his volley all wrong.

OFF THE POST! Leicester come within inches of taking the lead as James's corner from the left is flicked towards goal by the head of Wasilewski, but the Pole's effort comes back off the woodwork before Villa clear. So close.

Good link-up play by Benteke and Weimann as the former tries to thread the ball through to his teammate, only for the ball to slide through to Schwarzer. A little less power on the pass and Weimann would have been one on one with the goalkeeper. A warning for Leicester there, who were playing a high defensive line.

There are one or two worried faces in the Leicester dugout as Mahrez stays down following a challenge from Delph. However, it looks as if the playmaker is okay to continue. The Foxes are going to need him on the pitch if they want to breach this Villa defence.

In truth, this game is yet to come to life. Villa started at a high tempo, but they've taken their foot off the gas in the last 10 minutes or so. Leicester have improved, though they are also not showing a great deal of attacking intent in the final third.

Both sides are lacking any sort of rhythm at the moment. The passing is poor, while there's little in the way of movement up top from either team. Villa earn a corner thanks to some indecision from Upson, but the Foxes clear the danger.

Good move from Leicester, though Konchesky's cross is a poor one. The full-back is played in brilliantly down the left with a deft flick from Schlupp, but his centre is overhit and goes out of play on the far side.

CHANCE! Leicester apply some pressure on the Villa defence, winning a couple of corners in quick succession. The second one sees Mahrez whip a wonderful cross into the box, only for Morgan to head over from close range. The defender really should have done better with that opportunity.

SAVE! What a fine stop from Given! More Leicester pressure sees James hit a ferocious drive that looks destined for the top corner, only for the experienced goalkeeper to push it away with one hand. The Foxes are really starting to turn the screw.

Nigel Pearson will be pleased with what he's seeing from his side right now. They're forcing Villa further and further back, spreading the ball across the pitch in an attempt to stretch their opponents. There hasn't been a lot to get excited about in this match so far, but the visitors are starting to come to life.

Villa enjoy a bit more of the ball as Westwood tries to sling an ambitious ball into Bacuna, who is eventually flagged for offside. The hosts are lacking in ideas at the moment. They're just having to pump hopeful balls into the Leicester box and the visitors are dealing with them.

Tim Sherwood must be looking at this Villa side and thinking that he can't wait to re-shape them in his own style. This is turgid stuff from the hosts. Benteke is being given absolutely no service up front - no wonder he hasn't found the net in the past few weeks.

DISALLOWED GOAL! Villa think they've scored as Benteke drills the ball into the bottom corner following a pass from Delph, but the flag is rightly up for offside. That was a decent finish for the Belgian, though he can have no complaints with the decision.

There will be ONE MINUTE of added time at the end of the half...

The fans inside Villa Park are put out of their misery as the half-time whistle goes. It's been very uninspiring, but that's not to say it could all change after the break. Leicester have probably just about edged it so far, with the header off the post from Wasilewski being the highlight.

It's not a massive surprise that this game is goalless at the break considering how both sides have struggled up front in recent weeks. However, it's still been pretty bad. The word is that Tim Sherwood is down in the Villa changing room, giving the players a talk before they head out for the second period. Will it have an effect.

The other big chance in that first half fell the way of Leicester, with James being denied by a superb save from Given. The midfielder's shot look destined for the far corner, but the veteran shotstopper rose well to tip the ball away with one hand.

SECOND HALF UNDERWAY! The teams are back out for the second half and it will be hosts Aston Villa to kick us off. After such a drab opening 45 minutes, let's hope that we see a bit more action during the remainder of the game. No changes from either side at the break.

CHANCE! Villa should be ahead! An attack down the right sees Bacuna float a cross to Delph, who somehow heads over from about eight yards. The midfielder had no-one around him and he really should have buried that. The looks on his face says that he knows it.

Tim Sherwood's words at half time seem to have had had some effect on Villa. The hosts are doing lots of pressing, getting some good balls in from out wide. One opening sees Benteke try to get on the end of a hopeful ball back into the box, but Scwarzer does well to come off his line and make the save.

Leicester are really struggling to get on the ball as Villa continue to calls the shots. There's much more urgency about the hosts in this half. They're looking to get forward at every opportunity, while their attacking play in general is more inventive. The fans like what they're seeing.

Some concern for Leicester as Upson stays down following a collision with Bacuna. There was nothing sinister behind it, but the defender is clearly hurt. However, after some medical treatment, it would appear that he's going to be fine to carry on.

Villa win a free kick in a decent position as Upson fouls Benteke, but the hosts opt to play it square to Delph who smashes the ball wide with a speculative effort. They had plenty of bodies in the box there and probably should have floated a cross into the area.

YELLOW CARD! Leicester defender Konchesky, who was sent off here back in December, is rightly booked after clattering into Cleverley. That was a silly challenge.

From an attacking point of view Leicester are nowhere to be found. The visitors are being forced further and further back as Villa try to find a way through. The hosts aren't finding it easy to get past that Leicester backline, but at least they're having a go.

CHANCE! Good play from Villa as Hutton whips a great cross into the box from the right before Benteke nods narrowly wide. That was a tough opportunity for the striker, it must be said. Meanwhile, Leicester make their first change of the game as Leonardo Ulloa replaces Wasilewski.

We have a goal! And what a goal! Bacuna gives Villa a vital lead as he cuts in from the left before curling an unstoppable drive past Schwarzer and into the far corner. That was a sweet strike. Could that be enough to send the home side through? Leicester have a little over 20 minutes to respond.

CHANCE! Benteke wastes a glorious chance to put Villa 2-0 up as he leads a counter-attack down the left. All he has to do is square the ball to Weimann and the Austrian will be through on goal, but he instead overruns it and Leicester clear.

CHANCE! This game has certainly spiced up now! Mahrez forces a double save from Given before a scramble in the Villa box results in Vlaar hoofing the ball clear. Leicester have suddenly woken up after hardly competing since the start of the second half. However, time is running out for them.

The dominance that Leicester are enjoying could be a sign of how the remainder of this game is going to be played. Villa look happy to sit back and attack their opponents on the break. It's take a while, but this match is starting to feel like a cup tie.

ASTON VILLA SUB: The hosts make their first change of the afternoon as Scott Sinclair replaces goalscorer Bacuna.

Kramaric, who has been really quiet this afternoon, tries to make a marauding run down the left before being stopped in his tracks by Cleverley. Leicester are in need of some inspiration from somewhere, but it's hard to see just where that's going to come from. Just over 10 minutes left to play at Villa Park.

The visitors win a free kick in a promising position as Delph handles the ball. Cambiasso steps up to take the set piece, only to whack an audacious effort over the bar from about 30 yards.

ASTON VILLA SUB: The home side shake things up again, with Jack Grealish taking the place of Weimann.

Credit to Villa, they're still doing a good job of chasing down Leicester and making the visitors work hard to make any progress. The Foxes are huffing and puffing, but they're finding it really tough to get past that Villa defence.

Referee Mark Clattenburg has to have words with Hutton and Schlupp after the pair have a bit of a coming together. The official has had a good game this afternoon. He's allowed the game to flow, though the teams have struggled to take advantage of that.

And that should be that! Scott Sinclair makes it 2-0, though he has Schwarzer to thank for that goal. The substitute controls a pass from Benteke before seeing his low effort on the angle squirm pas the Australian and into the back of the net. There will be FOUR MINUTES of stoppage time to be played.

Game on! Just like that Leicester pull a goal back. Schlupps cross from the left is a good one, and Kramaric rises above his marker to drill a brilliant header past Given. That is a great goal.

Leicester are throwing everything at Villa now as they try to take this game to a replay. However, the hosts are just about holding on.

It was a bit nervy at the end, but Aston Villa are through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Leicester. Leandro Bacuna and Scott Sinclair scored the goals for the hosts, while Andrej Kramaric pulled one back for the away side late on. While it wasn't a classic by any means, the Villans will be delighted to reach the last eight of the competition.

That's all from our live text coverage of today's game, but don't forget that you can keep up to date with reaction from both teams right here on Sports Mole. Thanks for your company, we hope to see you soon. Goodbye!