Tottenham v Aston Villa – Line-ups, stats and preview

Match Preview for Tottenham v Aston Villa

Aiming for a fifth successive win in all competitions and a third straight triumph over Tottenham, Aston Villa travel to North London on Sunday to face a Spurs side in fine domestic form under Thomas Frank.

Both teams head into this Premier League clash buoyed by narrow victories before the international break – Villa edged out Burnley 2-1, while Tottenham earned the same result away at Leeds.

Tottenham’s resurgence under Frank continues to gather pace. Sitting third after seven league games, Spurs have gone seven matches unbeaten in all competitions, with confidence growing week by week.

Their win at Elland Road was inspired by Mohammed Kudus, who set up Mathys Tel before scoring himself to seal the points.

Victory on Sunday could even see Spurs finish the weekend top of the table, depending on results elsewhere.

However, Frank’s focus will remain on overcoming a personal hurdle – he has faced Unai Emery five times in the Premier League and is yet to beat the Spaniard.

There is still work to be done at home. Tottenham have won just three of their last 17 league matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, including setbacks against Wolves and Burnley earlier this season.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, are on a roll. Emery’s side have strung together four consecutive wins across all competitions, including victories over Bologna, Fulham, Feyenoord, and most recently Burnley.

Team news for Tottenham v Aston Villa

Tottenham have been boosted by the return of Randal Kolo Muani, who came through 45 minutes of a friendly against Watford and is expected to feature after recovering from a thigh issue. Kota Takai is also close to returning from a foot injury.

However, Yves Bissouma and Ben Davies are new additions to the injury list. Bissouma was stretchered off during Mali’s World Cup qualifier, while Davies sustained a muscular problem while on international duty with Wales.

They join Dominic Solanke (ankle), James Maddison (ACL), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), and Radu Dragusin (ACL) on the sidelines, though Dragusin is nearing the final stage of his recovery.

For Villa, there was a scare when Ollie Watkins withdrew from the England squad with a knee concern, but Emery has confirmed the striker will be fit for Sunday’s clash.

Tyrone Mings (ankle), Jadon Sancho (illness), Emiliano Buendia (head), and Andres Garcia (unspecified) could all return to contention, though Youri Tielemans remains out with a calf problem.

Morgan Rogers will look to continue his fine creative run, having registered assists in back-to-back league games, while Malen and Watkins lead Villa’s attacking threat.

Expected line-ups for Tottenham v Aston Villa

Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Bentancur; Kudus, Simons, Tel; Odobert

Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Onana; Malen, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins

How to watch Tottenham v Aston Villa: TV channel, online stream

Sunday’s match will kick-off at 2pm BST. Fans in the UK can watch live coverage on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with streaming available via Sky Go.

International viewers can stream the match through Premier League Pass or Peacock (US).

The stats for Tottenham v Aston Villa

• Tottenham have won just 3 of their last 17 home league games
• Aston Villa are unbeaten in 10 Premier League matches following international breaks (W8 D2)
• Unai Emery is 5-0 unbeaten against Thomas Frank in the Premier League
• Spurs have scored 13 goals from 7.5 xG, the league’s most efficient attack
• Donyell Malen has 4 goals in his last 3 appearances for Villa

Prediction

The last time Tottenham and Aston Villa shared the spoils in a Premier League match was back in May 2012, under Harry Redknapp and Alex McLeish. Since then, every meeting has produced a winner.

This time, though, the balance of form and fitness points toward a stalemate. Villa’s confidence is growing under Emery, while Spurs remain tough to beat under Frank. Expect a tightly contested affair between two in-form sides.

Prediction: Tottenham 2-2 Aston Villa