Preview of the Tottenham Hotspur – Aston Villa match – forecast, team news, lineups

After finding himself at opposite ends of the EFL Cup, Tottenham Hotspur And Aston Villa They meet in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon in a clash of challengers and contenders for the Champions League.

Ange Postecogloumen defied expectations to destroy Manchester City out of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, but their West Midlands counterparts outwitted at home at Crystal Palace.

Match Preview

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Rewind to mid-September, after Spurs’ North London derby defeat to arch-rivals Arsenal, when defiant Postecoglou confirmed he ‘always’ wins trophies in his second year is in charge of the club – history shows that this statement is indeed true.

On Wednesday night, the Australian took a huge step towards fulfilling that promise to Tottenham fans when Timo Werner put an end to his wasteful streak and Pape Sarr Striked a superb strike from 25 yards to end Manchester City’s dreams of a quadruple.

Another great Mancunian test against Manchester United, which is likely to take place under the wing Ruben Amorim later this month – awaits Spurs in the quarter-finals, but righting the wrongs of their last Premier League outing is now Postecoglou’s number one priority.

Toothless Tottenham deserved nothing with their trip to still-winless Crystal Palace in gameweek nine and that’s exactly what they got as Jean-Philippe Mateta fired by the Eagles their first top win of the season and left Spurs eighth place in the standings.

The Lilywhites already have a five-point gap to the fourth-placed visitors, but a shock midweek win over Manchester City was their fifth straight home win in all competitions; AZ Alkmaar, Qarabag, Brentford and West Ham United were also victims of this series.

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Villa head coach Unai Emery – whose links to Arsenal mean he shouldn’t enjoy a warm welcome at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – can sympathize with Postecoglou when it comes to beating Crystal Palace, who came to Villa Park and left with their name on it Add to EFL Cup Quarter Final Draw.

Despite the fact that he spent most of the match without two jewels in the crown – Eberechi Eze And Adam Wharton – The palace hit first through the first and then Daichi Kamada guaranteed that John Durandthe effort would be essentially pointless.

The final week of October will not be remembered fondly by the Lions, who also had to mourn a last-minute setback. Evanilson last weekend’s headline Draw 1:1 with Bournemouthdepriving them of the chance to overtake Arsenal and enter the top three in the rankings.

However, Emery’s side, who were second only to Arsenal on goal difference before the weekend’s games, have now gone seven matches unbeaten in English football’s top flight and have excelled away from home all season, winning five and drawing one in six away matches. in all tournaments.

What’s more, the Villans scored at least twice in all of those games in opposition territory and won 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November 2023, although Spurs then departed Villa Park with a win. with a score of 4:0 in March and finished the game. their three-match losing streak going into this match.

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League kit:

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Aston Villa Premier League form:

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Team news

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Tottenham’s triumph over Manchester City was not without casualties. Mickey van de Ven looked tearful when he picked up another hamstring problem in the first half, which will keep him out of action this weekend and until after the international break.

However, Christian Romero and Timo Werner should be fine despite also failing to complete the full 90 in midweek, and there is also optimism that captain Son Heung-min will recover from his hip problem in time for Sunday’s game.

Jed Spence (groin) is less likely to hit the target, and Wilson Odobert (hamstring) is definitely damaged after a “major” setback. Van de Ven takes his place in the infirmary. Radu Dragusin will be a deputy in the back.

While Postecoglou waits for the green light for several of his men, upcoming visitors Aston Villa are expected to be near full health for Sunday’s teasing affair. Ross Barkley (not specified) the only one missing.

Tyrone Mings And Boubacar Camara both reached the final whistle in midweek after devastating knee injuries, but the pair should be among the players relegated to the bench for Emery, who will return to his strongest team despite a looming Champions League trip to Club Brugge.

Durant is still knocking incredibly hard on Emery’s door ahead of promotion to the Premier League, but the talisman Ollie Watkins – dropped from the squad in midweek – will no doubt replace the Colombian at the forefront of the attack.

Possible Tottenham Hotspur starting XI:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Dragusin, Udogi; Kulusevski, Sarr, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son

Possible starting XI for Aston Villa:
Martinez; Cash, Consa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins

We say: Tottenham Hotspur – Aston Villa 2:2.

Spurs and Villa’s exploits in the EFL Cup should not be taken at face value as a strong Lilywhites side faced a weakened City side while Villa made plenty of changes to face a Crystal Palace side. .

With Postecoglou’s men nearly perfect at home in recent weeks and Villa scoring for fun away from home, Sunday’s game should be a stunning spectacle for neutrals and we think there’s a high-scoring draw in the cards for this game.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scores and more for this match, click here.

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