Aston Villa will host Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on Sunday, eager to return to winning ways and boost their UEFA Champions League qualification.
Aston Villa have picked up four wins from their last six matches vs Tottenham Hotspur, and they will be confident of getting a positive result here, considering the away side’s struggles. However, the Villans have picked up just two wins from their last six Premier League games, and they need to raise their performance level here.
On the other hand, Tottenham are in poor form as well. They have picked up just one win from their last six Premier League matches, which, fortunately for them, came last weekend. Spurs are fighting for survival in the Premier League, and they will be desperate for all three points. It remains to be seen whether they can produce a strong performance and grind out a vital away victory.
A defeat here could be devastating for the North London club. It remains to be seen who comes out on top here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Boubacar Kamara misses out due to a long-term knee injury, and Amadou Onana is also sidelined with a knock. Meanwhile, Alysson has yet to regain fitness, and he remains on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Tottenham Hotspur, with Emiliano Martinez in goal. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back. Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa will start alongside Pau Torres in the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Youri Tielemans and Douglas Luiz will provide defensive cover and control from the deep. Morgan Rogers will be deployed in the attacking midfield role, looking to link the midfield to the attack.
Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn will start on the flanks. They will look to create goalscoring opportunities and add unpredictability in the final third. Finally, Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Torres, Konsa, Digne; Luiz, Tielemans; Buendia, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins
Tottenham Hotspur
Xavi Simons, Cristian Romero and Dejan Kulusevski are unavailable due to their long-term knee injuries. Ben Davies, Mohammed Kudus, and Wilson Odobert have also been in the treatment room for a while. Guglielmo Vicario misses out with a groin injury. Pape Matar Sarr and Destiny Udogie are on the sidelines with shoulder and muscle injuries. Dominic Solanke picked up a thigh injury recently and misses out.
Tottenham Hotspur will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation vs Aston Villa, with Antonin Kinsky in goal. Pedro Porro and Djed Spence will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and contribute in the final third as well. Meanwhile, Kevin Danso and Micky van de Ven will start at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Conor Gallagher will add defensive cover and physicality alongside Joao Palhinha. They will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Archie Gray will add control and creativity alongside them.
Richarlison and Lucas Bergvall will add flair and creativity from the flanks. Finally, Randal Kolo Muani will lead the line for Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa on Sunday evening.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kinsky; Porro, Danso, van de Ven, Spence; Gray, Palhinha, Gallagher; Bergvall, Kolo Muani, Richarlison
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have won their last four matches against Tottenham Hotspur across all competitions. Meanwhile, 20 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams
- Tottenham are without a win in five of their last six Premier League matches. However, they ended a 15-game winless run against Wolves last time out (1-0) and could record successive victories in the Premier League for the first time since their opening two matches of this season against Burnley (3-0) and Manchester City (2-0).
- On the other hand, Aston Villa are without a win in four of their last six Premier League matches.
- Richarlison is averaging 0.72 goal involvements per 90 this season (9 goals, 4 assists in 1,615 minutes), his third-best rate in a Premier League campaign behind 2023/24 and 2024/25 (both 0.9 per 90).
- Under Roberto De Zerbi, Spurs are averaging more pressed sequences per game (12.7) and possession won in the final third per game (5.3) than they were under Thomas Frank (11.1 and 3.7) and Igor Tudor (10.8 and 3.8) in the Premier League this season..
Player to Watch
Morgan Rogers
The Aston Villa playmaker is our key player to watch out for. Rogers has created multiple opportunities for his teammates in recent weeks, and he can find the back of the net consistently as well. He could cause all sorts of problems for Tottenham with his creativity and goalscoring ability.
It remains to be seen whether Tottenham can keep him quiet here. Aston Villa will certainly hope that Rogers can make a defining impact in the final third and help them pick up all three points in an important game.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here for very different reasons. Although Tottenham bounced back with a late win against Wolves in the last game, this is a completely different proposition. Aston Villa are a better team, and they will look to put up a fight here.
The Villans have lost their last two matches in all competitions, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly. The players will be motivated, and the home fans will demand a reaction. Tottenham are likely to put up a fight here as well, and both teams are set to get on the score sheet.
However, Aston Villa have more quality in the final third, and they should be able to grind out a victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Unai Emery and his charges.
