The North Londoners have enjoyed a splendid start to the season, and they will be eager to keep this sense of momentum going after that narrow 2–1 win over Leeds at Elland Road before we went into international hiatus. But Unai Emery’s men also arrive at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in good form.
Villa have grabbed four wins in the last five games, and they have started to get some points in the table after what was a slow start to the campaign at Villa Park. And while Tottenham have been a bit volatile after a high start to the season. There have been plenty of good things to take from past performances for this Sunday’s hosts, but there is still this vulnerability of dips.
And this weekend’s game gives the Dane head coach and his men a chance to show that they are more than a flash in the pan, especially given that a win will give them a good hold on that table.
Team News
Injured star could make long awaited debut- Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa: Match Preview.
Randal Kolo Muani could make his PL debut in Tottenham vs Aston Villa.
Tottenham
Randal Kolo Muani is battling to be fit for the North Londoners. The Frenchman may finally get an opportunity to make his Premier League debut donning the Lilywhites badge. In doing so he will give much-needed freshness in attacking options at Frank’s disposal.
Yves Bissouma will be out again. He suffered what looks like a serious injury while on international duty.
Aston Villa
For Villa, Ollie Watkins has picked up a slight knock while playing for England. There is an expectation that he will make it for Sunday’s game, though.
Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia are doubts for Unai Emery’s side.
Pre-game tactical preview
Injured star could make long awaited debut- Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa: Match Preview.
Tottenham vs Aston Villa will be an interesting tactical battle.
Tottenham will try to get the better of Villa’s shape with Kudus and Simons (which has been the case in most of the past games for the North Londoners). But Villa, under Emery, are also disciplined and press smartly. So they will try to get some space behind wide defenders (or in those zones) to get an upper hand in sequences.
But the Villans are quite strong in the second phase, which means Frank will need to find a sense of balance without getting that middle zone exposed. Palhinha and Bentancur will need to work hard.
Predicted Lineups
Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Palhinha, Bergvall; Kudus, Simons, Richarlison
Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Bogarde, Kamara, Rogers; McGinn, Malen, Watkins
Tottenham vs Aston Villa Prediction
With both the teams being exceptional between the lines and good in transitions, this one is going to be a cagey game. It should be a close one and could end up being the one where the tactical upper hand ends up deciding the outcome of the game. While Tottenham have home advantage and a lot of attacking assets, the fact that Villa are in good form makes it a tricky tie.
Tottenham Hotspur 2 – 1 Aston Villa