Tottenham Hotspur will host Aston Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, looking to build on their midweek cup win.
After a disappointing defeat against Crystal Palace in the Premier League last time out, Tottenham bounced back with a morale-boosting win over Manchester City in the EFL Cup, and it will be interesting to see if they can put on a similar performance here and grind out all three points against Aston Villa.
Spurs will have to win these games if they want to secure UEFA Champions League qualification for next season. Aston Villa will be one of their competitors for a top-four finish. Meanwhile, the West Midlands club are in mediocre form coming into this game. They have picked up just two wins from the last five matches in all competitions.
It will be interesting to see if they can turn things around and bounce back with a victory here. The Villans were beaten by Crystal Palace in the midweek EFL Cup clash, and the players will be desperate to bounce back strongly. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Djed Spence is out with a groin injury here, while Micky van de Ven misses out with a thigh injury. Wilson Odobert misses out with a thigh injury as well. Tottenham Hotspur are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Crystal Palace, with Guglielmo Vicario in goal.
Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie will start as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Cristian Romero will start alongside Radu Dragusin in the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Yves Bissouma should start alongside Pape Matar Sarr in the double pivot. They will look to protect the back four and break down opposition attacks. James Maddison will start in the central attacking midfield role, and he will look to create chances for his side in the final third with his passing and vision.
Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min will start in the wide areas, and they will look to add goals and creativity to the side. Finally, Dominic Solanke will lead the line for Tottenham against Aston Villa this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Dragusin, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Solanke
Aston Villa
The away side do not have injury issues this weekend. Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Tottenham Hotspur, with Emiliano Martinez in goal. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and hit Spurs on the counter. Ezri Konsa will start alongside Pau Torres at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Amadou Onana will look to break up opposition attacks and win the ball back for his side. Youri Tielemans will look to control the tempo of the game from the deep.
Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey will add flair and creativity to the side from the wide areas. Morgan Rogers, who might soon sign a new contract with Villa, will start in the number ten role, behind Ollie Watkins, who will lead the line for Aston Villa against Tottenham Hotspur.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Ramsey, Rogers, Bailey; Watkins
Key Stats
- Aston Villa are undefeated in their last seven matches in the Premier League.
- Out of the last six meetings between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, both teams have won three each.
- Tottenham have picked up four wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
- Aston Villa have picked up three wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
- 19 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
Player to Watch
Dejan Kulusevski
The Swedish International has been in impeccable form for Tottenham in recent weeks. He will look to open up the Aston Villa defence with his passing, vision, flair and link-up play. Kulusevski will also look to add to his goal tally for the season. The Swede has been a revelation since moving into the attacking midfield role, and he will look to control the game in the final third.
Prediction
Tottenham 2-1 Aston Villa
Aston Villa have not been at their best in recent weeks, and they will find it difficult to grind out all three points here. They are a quality team, and they are likely to make life difficult for Tottenham here. However, the home side have enough quality to edge this one. Despite their injury problems, a narrow win for Tottenham is on the cards.
