Following contrasting Carabao League Cup results, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa square off in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, as Champions League hopefuls clash in North London.Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs defied the odds midweek by knocking out Manchester City, while Villa fell at home to Crystal Palace. Reflecting on Tottenham’s defeat to Arsenal back in September, Postecoglou confidently stated his record of delivering trophies in his second season with a club — a promise he edged closer to fulfilling with a commanding win over City. Timo Werner broke his goal drought, and Pape Sarr scored a stunning long-range effort, ending City’s quadruple aspirations and setting up a quarter-final date with Manchester United.‘I was told it‘s now or never‘For now, though, Postecoglou’s focus is on the Premier League, where he hopes to rectify Spurs’ disappointing showing against Crystal Palace last weekend, where a lackluster Tottenham fell 1-0, courtesy of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s goal. That defeat left Spurs eighth in the table, with a five-point gap to fourth-placed Villa. However, their midweek triumph over City also marked Spurs’ fifth consecutive home win in all competitions, adding to victories over AZ Alkmaar, Qarabag, Brentford, and West Ham United.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Meanwhile, Villa manager Unai Emery is all too familiar with being bested by Crystal Palace, who knocked his team out of the EFL Cup this week. Despite missing key players Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton for most of the match, Palace emerged victorious, leaving Villa’s cup dreams on hold.The last days of October were challenging for Villa, who also conceded a last-minute Evanilson header in a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, denying them a chance to move above Arsenal in the standings. Nonetheless, Villa remain level with Arsenal on points and have gone unbeaten in their last seven Premier League matches. Their impressive away form — five wins and one draw in six road games — includes scoring at least twice in each match, a feat that bodes well for their trip to North London, where they won 2-1 last season. Spurs, however, avenged that loss with a 4-0 victory at Villa Park in March.That was some away day 😮💨A 2-1 comeback victory, last time out at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 🙌 pic.twitter.com/fMx6yp2eSj— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) November 2, 2024 Tottenham’s midweek success against City came at a cost, as Micky van de Ven suffered a hamstring injury that rules him out until after the international break. Cristian Romero and Timo Werner, both substituted before full-time, should recover in time for Sunday, and there’s optimism about Son Heung-min’s return from a thigh issue. Djed Spence (groin) remains a doubt, while Wilson Odobert (hamstring) is sidelined long-term, with Radu Dragusin stepping in for Van de Ven.Aston Villa, in contrast, head to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with nearly a full squad. Ross Barkley is the only player ruled out, while Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara, who returned to action midweek, are expected to make way for Emery’s strongest lineup. While Jhon Duran continues to press for a starting role, Ollie Watkins — rested midweek — will likely lead Villa’s attack.ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 10SaturdayNewcastle – Arsenal 1-0 (1-0)/Isak 12/Bournemouth – Manchester City 2-1 (1-0)/Semenyo 9, Evanilson 64 – Gvardiol /Ipswich – Leicester City 1-1 (0-0)/Davis 55 – Ayew 90+4/Liverpool – Brighton 2-1 (0-1)/Gakpo 69, Salah 72 – Kadioglu 14/Nott. Forest – West Ham 3-0 (1-0)/Wood 27, Hudson-Odoi 65, Aina 78/Southampton – Everton 1-0 (0-0)/Armstrong 85/Wolverhampton – Crystal Palace 2-2 (0-0)/Larsen 67, Gomes 72 – Chalobah 60, Guehi77/Sunday 17.00: (1.95) Tottenham (3.85) Aston Villa (3.60)19.30: (2.70) Man.Utd. (3.40) Chelsea (2.60)***odds are subject to change***
