Tottenham Hotspur play host to high-flying Aston Villa this Sunday upon the return of the Premier League.
Spurs will be aiming to bounce back from successive Premier League defeats when they welcome Unai Emery’s side to north London, with dramatic losses to Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers tempering expectations at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after a bright start to the season.
Aston Villa have been in terrific form themselves at the beginning of the campaign. The Villans have lost just once in their last nine matches, a surprise defeat to Nottingham Forest, and will have no inferiority complex travelling to an injury-hit Spurs this Sunday.
Here is the lowdown on Tottenham vs Aston Villa ahead of Sunday’s encounter.
Tottenham vs Aston Villa H2H record (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Country |
TV channel / live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky Go Extra, Sky Go |
|
United States |
NBC Sports App, nbcsports.com, USA Network, UNIVERSO, UNIVERSO NOW, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada |
Ange Postecoglou may not be relishing the visit of Aston Villa given that his squad has been decimated by injuries and suspensions. The Tottenham boss could have as many as eight players sidelined for the visit of Emery’s side.
Two players missing through suspension are Cristian Romero following his red card against Chelsea and Yves Bissouma after the midfielder accumulated five yellow cards against Wolves. Destiny Udogie will return from his one-match ban against Villa, but remains a fitness doubt after withdrawing from the Italy squad.
Two of Spurs’ most influential absentees are James Maddison and Micky van de Ven, both of whom were substituted against Chelsea and are expected to be missing until the new year.
Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Richarlison and Manor Solomon will also be missing with long-term injuries.
Tottenham predicted lineup (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Dier, Davies, Udogie; Sarr, Hojbjerg, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Son, Johnson.
Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings remain sidelined for Emery with long-term knee injuries that will keep them out for the majority of the season, while Jacob Ramsey is unlikely to feature against Spurs after sustaining a foot injury before the international break.
Matty Cash should start at right-back despite withdrawing from the Poland squad with a minor knock, while Diego Carlos is also expected to overcome the injury he suffered in the Europa Conference League prior to the international break.
Aston Villa captain John McGinn should be fit for the visit to north London despite an injury scare against Norway on international duty with Scotland.
Aston Villa predicted lineup (4-4-2): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; McGinn, Luiz, Kamara, Zaniolo; Diaby, Watkins.
Both teams have shown their quality throughout the opening third of the season, especially in attacking areas. However, they have also shown some inconsistencies and defensive frailties, meaning this game should have plenty of goals.
Tottenham’s long list of absentees makes it difficult to know what you’re going to get from the Lilywhites, as was demonstrated against Wolves before the international break. Villa could take advantage, but it’s likely to be a tight and high-octane affair.
Prediction: Tottenham 2-2 Aston Villa
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