Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur
Date: 21/03/2021
K/O: 19:30
Venue: Villa Park
Referee: Mike Dean
TV: Sky Sports Main Event
Aston Villa have the chance to go within one point of Tottenham Hotspur, with the two facing each other on Sunday.
Aston Villa threw away their 1-0 lead over Newcastle in the dying seconds of the game last weekend – a lead that would have made European football a more realistic eventuality for Dean Smith’s men. However, Villa have done an extraordinary job to stay well in the top half of the table throughout the season, and still have an outside chance of featuring in a European competition for the first time in over a decade.
Although Villa’s results have taken a fairly noticeable drop since talisman Jack Grealish picked up an injury. The remaining members have done well to keep the team in the top half, and haven’t necessarily compromised their season, even with some tough-looking fixtures coming up. Grealish has missed out on the recent England call-up, but his return is on the horizon and could be a blessing as Aston Villa deliver their last push for the top six.
On that note, teammate Ollie Watkins has indeed earned his first call-up for England in the upcoming international friendlies. The striker is one of six English players in the Premier League top ten scorers list, but is the second youngest of this group, behind Calvert-Lewin, which was probably behind Gareth Southgate’s decision to put the Villa man in the running.
Tottenham will be eager to impress on the back of a poor defeat to their biggest rivals Arsenal. Mourinho had a few digs at their fellow North Londoners ahead of the game but was left red-faced after his tactics failed and the Gunners ran all over Spurs. Erik Lamela’s stroke of genius for the opener was overshadowed by his second yellow card and led the way for the eventual 2-1 defeat. And thanks to a truly shocking defeat in midweek against Dinamo Zagreb, most of the Spurs contingent want Mourinho sacked. An embarrassing turn of events for the head coach to say the least.
The worry for Spurs is that they have to play away from home again, and on the road, they have put out some truly bleak performances, even when they end up winning. The same trend continued in midweek against a team who by all accounts should be on the wrong end of a smattering when faced with a supposedly top Premier League side. No excuses can be made for Tottenham – they were terrible and lacked all composure. It really isn’t looking promising for Tottenham.
Defending has gone through decent spells this season for the Lilywhites, but it is completely canceled out by childish defending at other times. Basics have gone out the window and Villa will regret it greatly if they don’t capitalize on this weakness on Sunday.
Team News
Aston Villa
It is looking fifty-fifty as to whether Jack Grealish will make an appearance against Tottenham due to a shin injury, but the midfielder is almost guaranteed to return after the international break, according to Dean Smith.
Wesley will take part in a youth fixture over the international break, while Bertrand Traore should be able to recover from a minor knock in the rib ahead of the Tottenham match.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham’s attacking line has taken a fairly major hit, not least because Son is expected to be out until after the international break with a leg muscle problem. Erik Lamela must serve a one-match ban after picking up a second yellow against Arsenal last weekend.
Predicted Starting XIs
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Martinez; Targett, Mings, Konsa, Cash; Sanson, Douglas Luiz, McGinn; El Ghazi, Watkins, Traore
Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Reguilon, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Doherty; Ndombele, Hojbjerg; Bergwijn, Lucas, Bale; Kane
Score Prediction: Aston Villa 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs’ form had started to look good until recently, and two dismal performances in a row will send their confidence plummeting. As a result, Villa look likely to claim a massive three points to bring them within one point of the North London outfit.
