Tottenham take on Aston Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Sunday, live at 2pm on Sky Sports.
Spurs head into the eighth gameweek third in the table after a bright start to life under Thomas Frank, while Aston Villa have finally shaken off the early-season rust by recording four straight wins in all competitions.
Read on for our predictions, form guide, team news, and the players to keep an eye on.
Tottenham vs Aston Villa Prediction & Tips
Both Teams To Score @ 8/11 with AKBets
Spurs have found the net and conceded in each of their last three matches across league and cup competitions. Meanwhile, Aston Villa have hit their stride in front of goal, scoring in six consecutive games after drawing a blank in their first four. BTTS has landed in four of those six recent Villa fixtures.
Both Mohammed Kudus & Morgan Rogers To Score or Assist @ 7/1 with BetMGM
Mohammed Kudus has been superb for Spurs, amassing six goal involvements in seven league games, including a goal and an assist against Leeds, while he scored for Ghana during the break. Villa’s Morgan Rogers has come alive in recent weeks, assisting goals in his last two league games, and then scored his first England goal in the 3-0 defeat of Wales. He also has two goals and two assists from his last three games against Spurs.
Cristian Romero To Be Carded @ 7/2 with Sky Bet
Cristian Romero has been booked four times already this season for club and country, including in two of his last three league games for Spurs. The fiery Argentine is known for his all-action, no-nonsense style of defending and is never afraid to dive into a tackle or stir things up. At 7/2, there’s real value in backing him to see yellow again on Sunday.
Tottenham Form & Team News
Tottenham have started the Thomas Frank era impressively with four wins, two draws, and just the one defeat from their seven league games, which puts them two points behind leaders Arsenal.
Spurs are unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions, and have showcased their new-found resilience of late in rescuing two late draws against Brighton and Wolves, before coming from behind to beat Leeds last time out.
Mohammed Kudus has been a key instrument under Frankl, providing a key creative outlet who also has an eye for goal. His early-season numbers are impressive – a goal and five assists – and he’ll no doubt play a pivotal part on Sunday.
Spurs can also bank on a new-found defensive aspect to their game with only rivals Arsenal conceding fewer league goals so far this term, in part due to the centre-back partnership of Romero and Christian Micky van de Ven.
Yves Bissouma and Ben Davies were both injured on international duty and now face a spell on the sidelines.
Aston Villa Form & Team Setup
Aston Villa endured a dreadful start to the season, going four games without a point or even a goal. That run was followed by three straight draws in all competitions, but they’ve since found form with four consecutive wins, including back-to-back Premier League victories over Fulham and Burnley.
Morgan Rogers has hit a purple patch, providing assists in his last two league games and scoring for England during the international break. Ollie Watkins also netted for the Three Lions but picked up a knock after colliding with the post. However, Villa are hopeful he’ll be fit to feature on Sunday.
Unai Emery will be keen to have Emiliano Buendía, Tyrone Mings, and Andres Garcia fit as Villa look to continue their winning momentum.
Head-to-Head Battles and What the Stats Reveal
Remarkably, this fixture hasn’t produced a draw in any of the last 23 meetings, a run stretching back to May 2012. During that time, Tottenham have won 16 times, while Aston Villa have claimed seven victories. However, recent encounters have been far more balanced – each side has recorded six wins from the last 12 clashes across all competitions.
Last season, Aston Villa won two of the three meetings (league and cup), and they’ve taken two wins from their last three visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Goals are usually on the cards when these two meet. Over 2.5 goals has landed in eight of the last 10 matchups, with Tottenham scoring four goals in three of the last seven league games between the sides.
In terms of individual impact, Rogers stood out last season with four goal involvements in three appearances against Spurs (two goals and two assists). Meanwhile, Brennan Johnson has found the net in each of his last two starts against Villa. Both players are worth watching closely this weekend.
Key Battles on the Pitch
Mohammed Kudus vs Lucas Digne
A compelling battle is set to take place between the in-form Spurs winger and the experienced Villa left-back. Kudus has been a bright spark for Spurs this season, consistently posing a threat down the right flank. But if Digne can keep him contained, it could go a long way in stifling the hosts’ attacking creativity.
Pedro Porro vs Morgan Rogers
Over on the opposite flank, Rogers will be aiming to exploit any gaps left by Porro. If Porro pushes too high up the pitch, Rogers could find plenty of space to attack and cause problems for the Spurs defence, making this another key matchup to keep an eye on.
Joao Palhinha vs John McGinn
A fierce midfield contest awaits between Joao Palhinha and John McGinn, two influential figures for their respective sides. Palhinha has been a standout for Spurs this season, combining defensive grit with an eye for goal, netting three times. Meanwhile, Villa captain McGinn is in red-hot form himself, scoring in three of his last four outings.