Saturday 9th April 2022
Premier League
@Villa Park, Birmingham
KO: 17:30 GMT
Aston Villa return to Villa Park looking to upset the form books as they face Tottenham in the late kickoff.
The teams come into the game in contrasting form with Villa off the back of three straight defeats and Tottenham having won their last three and in pole position to grab what felt like an unlikely 4th place spot.
Villa put in an abject performance away to Wolves last weekend and Tottenham thrashed Newcastle United 5-1 following wins at home to West Ham and away to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Steven Gerrard will be desperate to pick up some points to finish as high as possible but recent performances alongside results will have been a huge frustration as he looks to assemble his own team since taking over and will be looking forward to a first full preseason as Villa manager.
Tottenham have won five of their last six in the league and under manager Antonio Conte, they have improved across the pitch from the early worries that saw Nuno Espirito Santo sacked after a short stint in the dugout.
Tottenham won the league game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier in the season with a 2-1 win with Pierre Emile Hojberg and a Matt Targett own goal either side of an equaliser from Ollie Watkins.
Aston Villa Team News
Manager Steven Gerrard will be likely to make changes again to his Villa side following the recent form.
Lucas Digne should play after illness that cut short his time on the pitch against Wolves and Kortney Hause is out with an abdominal injury.
There should be no other concerns in regards to injuries and suspensions and Villa fans will welcome Marvelous Nakamba back following a long-term knee injury although he will likely have to settle for the bench.
Possible starting line up:
Martinez, Digne, Mings, Konsa, Cash, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Ramsey, Coutinho, Watkins, Ings
Tottenham Hotspur Team News
Antonio Conte will be without a number of players to call upon but such is the depth of his squad, he will still be able to name a very strong side.
Sergio Reguilon (knee) is doubtful and Oliver Skipp (pelvis), Japhet Tanganga (knee) and Ryan Sessegnon (thigh) will all be likely to miss out.
Possible starting line up:
Lloris, Doherty, Romero, Dier, Davies, Sanchez, Bentancur, Hojberg, Kulusevski, Son, Kane
Opposition breakdown:
Wolves are credited as being one of the strongest teams in the Premier League in regards to attacking down the wings and creating multiple chances.
They have scored from a variety of positions and are strong at protecting a lead.
Their weaknesses have been labelled as defending set pieces and cutting down chances created by oppositions.
In regards to attacking, 34 of the 52 goals scored by Tottenham have come from open play with an incredible 6 own goals, 5 coming from set pieces, 4 from counter attacks and 3 penalties.
39% of their attacks have come down the right wing with 34% down the left-hand side and only 27% centrally as they look to utilise the likes of Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung Min on the flanks along with the overlap of attacking wing backs.
69% of their shots have come centrally with 53% coming from inside the 18-yard box, 35% outside of the box and 12% inside the six-yard box.
Defensively, Tottenham have conceded 37 goals with 22 from open play, 10 from set pieces, 2 from counter attacks, 2 penalties and a single own goal.
67% of the shots conceded from opposition sides have come centrally with 57% of shots being inside the 18-yard box, 36% coming from outside the box and 7% within the six-yard box.
Harry Kane is top scorer so far this season with 14 goals and he also leads with assists with 6 (tied with Son Heung Min).
Their highest rated player statistically based on their position is Son Heung Min.
Aston Villa are 14th in the ‘home table’ with 5 wins, 3 draws and 6 defeats in comparison to Tottenham who sit 6th in the away table with 7 wins, 2 draws and 6 losses on the road.
Head to Head record:
Aston Villa 57 wins, 36 Draws, Tottenham Hotspur 76 wins
Last five meetings:
03 Oct 2021 – Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Aston Villa (Premier League)
19 May 2021 – Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Aston Villa (Premier League)
21 Mar 2021 – Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League)
16 Feb 2020 – Aston Villa 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League)
10 Aug 2019 – Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Aston Villa (Premier League)
AVILLAFAN MATCH PREDICTION
With form the way it is for both teams, I’ve tried to talk myself into being positive but unfortunately I cannot see anything other than an away win.
What we need to see is fight for 90 minutes and nothing like what we witnessed for the majority of the Wolves and Arsenal games.
Aston Villa 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur
Tip of the day
If you back the score prediction, the 1-2 win for Tottenham is available at around 14/1 currently.
Aston Villa win – 11/5
Draw – 5/2
Tottenham Hotspur win – 23/20
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