Midlands | Villa head to Spurs looking to continue recent revival

Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa preview

The Villans are unbeaten in their last four league matches, yet their sluggish start to the season leaves them 13th in the table heading into the weekend. 

Author | Peter Grainger 

Stadium | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Villa are chasing a third successive victory after recording back-to-back wins before the international break, and a triumph over a title contender would provide a significant lift for Unai Emery’s side.

Villa team news

Unai Emery will be hopeful that Ollie Watkins is fit to feature after the forward picked up an injury while on international duty with England. Watkins was forced to return to Villa earlier in the week, having been unable to train with the national side, though he did find the net in England’s 3-0 victory over Wales.

Amadou Onana made his return from injury in Villa’s final outing before the October break against Burnley, while Ross Barkley was also back in contention after resolving a personal matter earlier in the campaign.

Tyrone Mings sat out the meetings with Feyenoord and Burnley due to an ankle problem but had been targeting a return following the international break for the clash with Tottenham.

Last time out for Villa

Donyell Malen scored twice as his side continued their resurgence with a fourth consecutive win in all competitions, overcoming struggling Burnley. They probably made hard work of it on the day, but this was ultimately still a deserved three points.

A quick look at the opposition

Spurs head into the weekend in a strong position, sitting third in the table and unbeaten in four matches, their most recent result a 2-1 victory away at Leeds United before the international break.

A few key stats ahead of the match

None of the last 20 Premier League meetings between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa have ended in a draw, with Spurs winning 14 and Villa six since a 1-1 stalemate back in May 2012.

Aston Villa have triumphed in four of their last six league encounters with Tottenham, losing the other two. That total equals their number of victories from the previous 29 meetings between the sides, during which they drew seven and lost 18.

After failing to win any of their first five league matches this season, drawing three and losing two, Villa have now recorded back-to-back victories. Since the start of March, only Manchester City have collected more Premier League wins than Unai Emery’s side, who have claimed ten in that period.