Tottenham Hotspur will host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, looking to bounce back from consecutive league defeats.
Tottenham Hotspur started the season well before crashing to consecutive defeats, and they will be hoping to bounce back strongly against Aston Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The home fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players, and it remains to be seen whether they can step up and deliver. Meanwhile, Aston Villa are just one point adrift of Tottenham in fifth place, and they will look to take advantage of Tottenham’s vulnerabilities and pile on further misery on the hosts.
Aston Villa will be hoping to push for UEFA Champions League qualification, and they need to win games like these in order to stake their claim. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Not long until we're back at @SpursStadium! 🤍 pic.twitter.com/1bT50LgCCa
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 24, 2023
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs have a number of injury issues heading into this game. Ivan Perisic is ruled out with a knee injury, and he is set to be sidelined for the season. Micky van de Ven and James Maddison recently picked up injuries and they are likely to be sidelined until mid-January.
Ryan Sessegnon and Manor Solomon have thigh and knee injuries, respectively, and they are expected to return towards the end of January. Richarlison has recently undergone surgery on his groin, and he is expected to return towards the end of December.
Meanwhile, Cristian Romero and Yves Bissouma are suspended for this game. Considering all the roster issues, Tottenham are likely to field a heavily changed side because of injuries and suspension. Guglielmo Vicario will start in goal for the home side.
Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie will continue as the full-backs, and they will look to help out in the attack and protect the central defenders. Eric Dier and Ben Davies are likely to be handed starts here in the absence of Romero and van de Ven.
The midfield pivot is likely to see a complete overhaul as well, with Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg starting. Giovani Lo Celso could be deployed as the attacking midfielder here in the absence of Maddison.
The Argentine international will be expected to create goalscoring opportunities in the final third. Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson will be deployed in the wide areas. They will look to add pace, flair and creativity from the flanks. Finally, Son Heung-min will lead the line for Tottenham.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Dier, Davies, Udogie; Hojbjerg, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Lo Celso, Johnson; Son
Aston Villa
The West Midlands club will be without Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings for the remainder of the season. Bertrand Traore remains a long-term absentee with a muscular injury. Aston Villa will likely shape up in a 4-2-2-2 formation, with Emiliano Martinez in goal.
Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs, and the two players will look to keep the defensive unit compact and help out during counter-attacks. Ezri Konsa will start at the heart of the Aston Villa defence alongside Pau Torres.
In the midfield pivot, Douglas Luiz will start alongside Boubacar Kamara. The two players will look to break up the opposition attacks and protect the central defenders. Youri Tielemans and John McGinn will start as the attacking midfielders here and will look to outnumber Tottenham in the midfield and add creativity and drive to the side. Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa here, with Moussa Diaby alongside him.
Probable Lineup (4-2-2-2): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Tores, Digne; Luiz, Kamara; McGinn, Tielemans; Diaby, Watkins
Key Stats
- 17 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
- Aston Villa have scored 29 goals in 12 Premier League matches this season.
- Tottenham have conceded six goals in the last two Premier League matches.
- Aston Villa have picked up five wins from their last six outings across all competitions.
- Tottenham and Aston Villa have each won three of the last six meetings between them.
Key Player
Son Heung-min
📸 @Sonny7 pic.twitter.com/E4wEauqHTe
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 24, 2023
The Tottenham captain has had to carry the goalscoring burden for his side this season, and Spurs will need him to step up against Aston Villa. In the absence of several key players, the hosts will look to him for goals and creativity, and it remains to be seen whether the South Korean international can deliver.
The 31-year-old has eight goals and an assist in 12 league appearances this season, and the experienced Tottenham forward is our key player to watch out for.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Aston Villa
Both teams are quite evenly matched on current form, and this is likely to be a thrilling contest. Spurs are severely weakened because of injuries and suspension, and they will have to put on a strong performance in order to grind out a positive result here.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa are full of confidence right now, and they will fancy their chances of getting something out of this contest. The two teams are likely to cancel each other out here, but this is likely to be an open game with a fair few chances for either side. A high-scoring game is quite likely.