A highly-awaited battle of two top-four contenders will pit Aston Villa against Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on Sunday.
Gameweek 28 of the 2023/24 Premier League season will continue on Sunday, which will bring us four games. The marquee fixture on the day will pit Liverpool against Manchester City at Anfield, with major implications for the title race. But a similar encounter for the top-four chase will get under underway, with Aston Villa hosting Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park.
Aston Villa would have hoped to challenge for European qualification this season, perhaps by clinching a top-six finish after reaching the UEFA Europa Conference League last term. But no Villa fans, in their wildest dreams, would have hoped to see their team capturing the fourth spot on the table heading into the business end of the campaign.
But such has been the progress under the tutelage of Unai Emery that the Villans have been among the best teams in England this season. They have a five-point buffer over Tottenham and can extend that advantage with a win on Sunday.
Speaking of Tottenham, they have considerably improved under Ange Postecoglou. The Australian tactician has employed an eye-catching brand of football that has delivered the goods in the final third, making Tottenham one of the most productive teams in the Premier League. But consistency has evaded the North London outfit in the last few weeks, and Postecoglou will be eager to see progress.
The reverse fixture saw Aston Villa coming from a goal down to beat Tottenham 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Ollie Watkins scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Unai Emery does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, the Aston Villa manager will be bereft of the services of at least three first-team players.
Emery is also sweating over the fitness of Jacob Ramsey (ankle) and Jhon Duran (hamstring), with the former in contention to feature this weekend. However, Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara and Emiliano Buendia remain in the treatment room with their respective knee injuries.
Emiliano Martinez will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-4-1-1 formation in front of him against Tottenham. The backline should feature Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Diego Carlos, and Alex Moreno.
As for the midfield unit, Douglas Luiz and John McGinn will look to run the show from the middle of the park. Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby will be the two wide midfielders, with the duo providing the creative impetus from the flanks. Youri Tielemans will have a free role in the final third, playing behind central striker Ollie Watkins.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Carlos, Moreno; Diaby, Luiz, McGinn, Bailey; Tielemans; Watkins
Tottenham Hotspur
Unlike his counterpart in the Aston Villa dugout, Ange Postecoglou has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to Villa Park. The Tottenham Hotspur manager will be without four first-team players on Sunday.
Pedro Porro is fit and available after recovering from a knock. But Richarlison remains on the sidelines and should return before the international break. Meanwhile, Fraser Forster (foot), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), and Manor Solomon (knee) remain long-term absentees.
Tottenham will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Aston Villa, with Guglielmo Vicario taking his usual spot in the goal. Porro should return to the backline straightaway, joining Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Destiny Udogie in the defensive quartet.
As for the midfield unit, Rodrigo Bentancur should get the nod over Pape Matar Sarr as Yves Bissouma’s partner in the double pivot. James Maddison will reprise his usual no. 10 role, pulling the strings in the final third. Meanwhile, Richarlison’s absence means Timo Werner will start on the left flank, joining Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski in the attack.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Maddison, Werner; Son
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have beaten Tottenham in three successive Premier League meetings for the first time since a club-record run of four between 1994 and 1996. The away side will aim to avoid consecutive away league defeats against Villa for the first time since 2004.
- Aston Villa have won their last three league games, as many as in their previous eight attempts (D2 L3). Villa’s tally of 59 goals scored in the Premier League this season is their second-highest. They ended 2007/08 with 71 strikes. However, they have conceded nine goals in their most recent four home league matches, one more than in their previous 16 at Villa Park.
- Tottenham have won only one of their last six away league games (D3 L2). Meanwhile, they are on a club-league-record run of scoring in 38 consecutive matches, dating back to a 1-0 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers on 4 March last year. But they have kept only one clean sheet in their most recent 17 Premier League matches.
- Ollie Watkins has been directly involved in 26 Premier League goals this season, the most of any player in the competition.
- Leon Bailey and Watkins have combined for seven league goals in 2023/24, more than any other pair.
Player to Watch
Son Heung-min
Ollie Watkins will invariably be under the spotlight and will fancy his chances of scoring this weekend. But we have picked Son Heung-min in this section due to the incredible burden on his shoulders heading into Sunday’s clash at Villa Park. However, he has a decent recent record at Villa Park, amassing five goals in his last three games at the stadium.
The Tottenham captain should soon sign a new contract with the North London club, meaning he remains committed to the project under Ange Postecoglou. But he needs to play out of his skin to help the visitors clinch all three points, with Richarlison’s missing unpredictability in the final third helping Villa defend better. So, the 31-year-old must be at his best for Tottenham to win.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
With so much at stake, Sunday’s highly-anticipated clash at Villa Park should deliver absorbing action throughout the ninety minutes. Tempers should also flare, considering Aston Villa can deal a setback to Tottenham in the top-four race, making it an adrenaline-driven encounter.
Ollie Watkins’s incredible form should continue, with Leon Bailey also delivering the goods in the final third. That should be enough to help Aston Villa clinch three points, although a goal from Son Heung-min will set up a nervy finale that might go anywhere during an excruciatingly long injury time.