Aston Villa vs Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur currently mourns a painful cup elimination while they prepare for the Fourth Round of the FA Cup away from home against Aston Villa this Sunday.

During this week the Lions have had ample time to analyze their Wolverhampton Wanderers loss while Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur team suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg.

The 1-0 first-leg victory against Liverpool in the EFL Cup semi-finals did not prove enough to help Postecoglou achieve his second-season trophy goal after the devastating 4-0 defeat at Anfield.

The Liverpool dismantling of Tottenham included four goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah then Dominik Szoboszlai completed a polished finish before Virgil van Dijk ended the game with a header to secure the EFL Cup final spot following Tottenham's sudden jolt from their 2025 success.

Tottenham scored two goals to defeat Brentford in their last Premier League London derby but remain below both the top half and above the relegation zone based on current points accumulation.

Many observers believed Tottenham faced an equally deplorable fate in the FA Cup third round against Tamworth despite winning 3-0 because the non-league team managed to carry the game through 90 minutes and extra time.

However, Unai Emery's squad has managed only two wins in their last six matches across all competitions, with just one victory in their previous five outings. That said, their 4-2 triumph over Celtic was crucial in securing their place in the Champions League last 16.

Throughout the season, the Lions have struggled in their Premier League fixtures immediately following a Champions League game, and this concerning pattern persisted at Molineux. Wolves secured a 2-0 derby win thanks to goals from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Matheus Cunha.

Despite their struggles on the road, Aston Villa have often bounced back with strong performances at home. Their unbeaten streak at Villa Park now extends to 10 games across all competitions since their EFL Cup loss to Crystal Palace in October. However, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six home matches.

Continuing the trend of defensive vulnerabilities, Villa have conceded four goals in each of their last two encounters with Tottenham, losing both matches. Despite these setbacks, Emery's side won all three of their meetings with Tottenham in 2023 and will undoubtedly enter this fixture as the favorites.