Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa clash in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon after recording contrasting results in the fourth round of the EFL Cup in midweek.
Ange Postecoglou’s troops defied the odds to eliminate Manchester City from the League Cup on Wednesday, but their West Midlands counterparts were sent packing in their own backyard by Crystal Palace.
Spurs’ win over Man City will undoubtedly boost their confidence heading into a Premier League clash against the side that denied them a spot in the Champions League last season.
Fans demanding vengeance can head over to Seatsnet.com to purchase Tottenham Hotspur tickets, with Postecoglou’s side determined to make it back-to-back wins in all competitions.
Match Preview
After Tottenham’s North London derby defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal in mid-September, Postecoglou confidently reminded fans of his track record of second-season success.
His remarks didn’t go down well with many, but the records support Postecoglou’s statement and he took a massive step towards delivering on that promise on Wednesday evening.
Timo Werner’s return to scoring form and a stunning 25-yard strike from Pape Sarr helped Spurs crush Man City’s hopes for a historic quadruple.
Postecoglou’s men face another daunting Manchester test in the quarter-finals against Manchester United, who may be under the leadership of Ruben Amorim by then.
However, before looking too far ahead, the focus for Tottenham is squarely on bouncing back from their disappointing Premier League display against Palace.
Spurs’ uninspired performance saw them fall 1-0 to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s goal, marking Palace’s first top-flight win this season and leaving Spurs in eighth place.
Despite the setback, Tottenham remain formidable on home turf, boasting a five-match winning streak across all competitions.
In that stellar run, they’ve defeated AZ Alkmaar, Qarabag, Brentford, West Ham United, and most recently, Man City.
While they sit five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, their midweek triumph signals that they are determined to claw their way back up the standings.
Villa manager Unai Emery cannot expect a warm reception at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, given his history with Arsenal.
However, he finds himself in a position similar to that of Postecoglou.
Both managers were undone by Palace, who pulled off a 2-1 victory at Villa Park to earn their place in the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
Eberechi Eze gave Palace the lead before he was forced off the pitch with an injury in the 18th minute.
It looked like the Eagles would struggle without their talisman when Jhon Duran levelled matters in the 23rd minute, and things went from bad to worse for Palace when Adam Wharton picked up an injury.
However, Oliver Glasner’s side rallied in the absence of their key duo, and Daichi Kamada netted the winner shortly after the hour mark, sending Palace into the quarter-finals.
The final week of October has been far from ideal for Villa.
Last weekend, they missed a golden chance to leapfrog Arsenal into the Premier League’s top three, denied by a last-minute header from Evanilson in a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth.
However, Emery’s squad remains resilient, just trailing Arsenal on goal difference and unbeaten in their last seven league games.
Villa’s strong away form has been a defining aspect of their season so far, with five wins and a draw across six matches in all competitions.
Scoring at least twice in each away game, Villa also clinched a 2-1 victory at Tottenham’s home last November.
However, Spurs managed to reverse the outcome with a 4-0 thrashing at Villa Park in March, ending a run of three consecutive defeats to Villa.
Key Stats
Tottenham are feeling the pressure after losing two of their last three Premier League games, dropping them to eighth place and five points adrift of the top four.
However, the win against Man City lifted spirits. They’ll host Villa on Sunday, aiming to build on that momentum, but Tottenham’s habit of conceding early at home could be a problem.
Spurs conceded first in 11 of their 13 home league games in 2024 but have managed to fight back to win seven – only Newcastle United have recorded more comeback home wins in a single year (eight in 2002).
Tottenham have lost nine of their last 16 league games (W6, D1), with only relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers (12) losing more in the same period.
It marks a concerning downturn from the strong form Spurs enjoyed at the start of Postecoglou’s tenure, where they lost only seven of his first 31 games in charge (W18, D6).
Meanwhile, Villa are flying high in fourth place and will head into this clash brimming with confidence.
Emery’s side has excelled on the road in London, winning nine of their 13 Premier League games in the capital (D3, L1).
That accounts for a 69% win rate under the Spaniard – the best by any manager in Premier League history (with a minimum of 10 games) for away matches in the capital.
Villa’s only league defeat this season came against Arsenal in August, and they currently boast the third-highest away points tally in the league (10).
Only Liverpool (13) and Nottingham Forest (11) have claimed more points on the road this season, and Villa have also won as many as four of their opening five away league games in a season once before, doing so in 2020/21 (W4, L1).
Team News
Tottenham’s win against Man City came with a costly sacrifice as they lost Micky van de Ven to a hamstring problem that will keep him out of this weekend’s game until after the international break.
However, it’s not all gloom on the injury front for the north Londoners, with Cristian Romero and Werner cleared to start despite being hurled off in midweek.
Tottenham skipper Son Heung-min could also mark his return to the starting line-up this weekend, but the likes of Djed Spence and Wilson Odobert will sit out the game.
Unlike Spurs, Villa have been handed a near-clean bill of health for Sunday’s mouth-watering contest. They’d only be missing former Luton Town star Ross Barkley due to an unspecified issue.
Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara returned to the XI for the EFL Cup clash and made it through to the final whistle despite just recovering from devastating knee injuries.
However, the pair should return to the bench at the weekend, with Emery set to name a strong line-up for the trip to north London.
Duran is still banging incredibly hard on Emery’s door for a Premier League start, but talisman Ollie Watkins – omitted from the squad in midweek – will no doubt displace the Colombian at the tip of the attack.
Tottenham Hotspur Potential Starting Line-up:
(4-3-3): Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie; Dejan Kulusevski, Pape Matar Sarr, James Maddison; Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, Son Heung-min.
Aston Villa Potential Starting Line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne; Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans; John McGinn, Morgan Rogers, Jacob Ramsey; Ollie Watkins.
