Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa

One of the most exciting fixtures in the Premier League this weekend pits Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa against each other at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham bolstered their spirits following a frustrating 1-0 league loss at Crystal Palace last weekend with a stunning 2-1 home triumph against Manchester City in midweek EFL Cup action. However, it’s been ‘one step forward, two steps back’ for Spurs this season. They head into proceedings trapped in mid-table after alternating between defeats (2) and victories (2) across their last four league outings, a trend they’ll be keen to uphold after their first scoring blank at Selhurst Park a week ago. Ange Postecoglou’s men have gone from strength to strength at home this season. Except for a 1-0 loss to Arsenal in mid-September, Spurs have won all six remaining matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, including three in the Premier League via an aggregate score of 11-2.

In the meantime, Aston Villa slipped to an underwhelming 2-1 cup defeat at Crystal Palace during midweek, surrendering an eye-catching 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions (W8, D3). Unai Emery’s side conceded a gut-wrenching 96th-minute equalizer in a 1-1 home draw against Bournemouth last weekend, marking their third Premier League stalemate in the last four (W1), hence a five-point deficit on table-topping Manchester City pre-round. However, the Lions have fared remarkably on the road this term, racking up three victories on their four Premier League travels (D1), which bodes well as they bid to record a third consecutive top-flight away win against Tottenham.