A pivotal battle in the Premier League's top-four race commences at Villa Park on Sunday lunchtime, as Aston Villa welcome Tottenham Hotspur to their West Midlands base.
The Lions return to top-flight action on the back of a 0-0 Europa Conference League draw with Ajax, while the Lilywhites came from a goal down to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 last weekend.
Match preview
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Bidding to transfer his unparalleled Europa League success into Europa Conference League stardom with Aston Villa, Lions head coach Unai Emery oversaw a tense battle with Ajax in the first leg of their last-16 tie, in which both sides had a man dismissed in the dying embers.
Ezri Konsa and Tristan Gooijer both took the walk of shame for a pair of bookable offences, but Villa managed to depart Amsterdam with a praiseworthy goalless draw to their name, making them the favourites to prolong their European adventure in next week's second leg on home turf.
Before their quest for continental supremacy resumes, the Lions go in search of a fourth Premier League win on the trot, having overcome Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Luton Town - defeating the latter thanks to a last-gap Lucas Digne header - to wrestle back control of the race for Champions League football.
Sitting fourth in the table with a five-point gap to Tottenham - albeit with a game in hand - Emery's men will put a serious dent in the Lilywhites' top-four aspirations with victory on Sunday, which would also mark their first four-game top-flight winning sequence of the season.
However, the hosts have developed a propensity for leaking goals in the top flight - conceding multiple times in four of their last six Premier League affairs - but their magnificent scoring streak at Villa Park now stands at 27 top-flight matches since drawing a blank against Chelsea in October 2022.
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As has been tradition for Tottenham Hotspur in 2024, Ange Postecoglou's men conceded first a Premier League home game for the fourth time in a row last weekend, where Palace hotshot Eberechi Eze fizzed a venomous free kick out of Guglielmo Vicario's reach early in the second half.
The Lilywhites had shown minimal signs of life in attack before Eze's sensational set-piece, but Postecoglou's offensive forces quickly came to life when there was a deficit to make up, as Timo Werner, Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min turned the London derby on its head.
On account of their first win by at least a two-goal margin in 2024, Postecoglou's team - who have often flattered to deceive in the current calendar year performance-wise - will move to within two points of Villa with success on Sunday, where a triumph would also put their Champions League destiny back into their own hands thanks to their match in hand.
The beating of Palace marked the ninth Premier League game in a row in which Tottenham have both scored and conceded, but their away record leaves a lot to be desired, as Postecoglou's team have just one win to show from their last six on the road, going winless in each of their last three.
Speaking of three-match streaks, Villa have impressively got the better of Tottenham in each of their last three Premier League contests, although Spurs arrive at Villa Park having struck multiple goals in their last five top-flight away battles, albeit while often being let down by a lack of defensive discipline.
Team News
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With Europa Conference League suspensions meaning nothing in terms of domestic football, Konsa will be fine to line up in the Villa backline here, as will Pau Torres, whose half-time withdrawal on Thursday night was pre-planned.
However, Emery remains without Emiliano Buendia (knee), Boubacar Kamara (knee), Tyrone Mings (knee) and Jhon Duran (hamstring), while Jacob Ramsey came off early against Luton due to a foot problem and requires further assessment this weekend.
Necessary changes should benefit Alex Moreno, Diego Carlos and Matty Cash's chances of returning to the rearguard, while Leon Bailey and John McGinn are also in line for recalls to the hosts' XI, taking Morgan Rogers and Tim Iroegbunam's places respectively.
In terms of Tottenham's availability, Postecoglou said before the win over Palace that Richarlison would be sidelined for a few weeks with a knee problem, but speaking to Brazilian media at the match, the attacker disputed his manager's claim and said that he would be fine for the trip to Villa Park.
Postecoglou said on Friday that Richarlison would indeed be unavailable this weekend, but in brighter news, Pedro Porro has made a full recovery from the strain which has sidelined him for the last two matches.
Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), Fraser Forster (foot) and Manor Solomon (knee) make up the visitors' guaranteed absentees for Sunday's game, but Postecoglou has also revealed that Pape Sarr is being carefully managed due to an ongoing back problem.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Carlos, Moreno; Diaby, Luiz, McGinn, Bailey; Tielemans; Watkins
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Maddison, Werner; Son
We say: Aston Villa 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Aston Villa scoring at home is almost always a safe bet, and the Ollie Watkins-inspired Lions should not lose their golden Villa Park streak here, even if fatigue from Thursday's exertions sets in.
While Tottenham will no doubt arrive in better physical condition, Postecoglou's men are yet to rediscover their best form and have a habit of falling short on rival territory, so we can envisage Villa retaining control of the top-four race in an exhilarating stalemate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
