A Premier League win for Aston Villa against visitors Tottenham Hotspur at Villa park on Friday could put them in a strong position from which to qualify for the Champions League.
Sixth-placed Villa narrowly beat Bournemouth 1-0 on May 10 and their tally of 63 points is the same as fifth-placed Chelsea with just two games remaining, whereas Spurs languish in 17th place with 38 points following their 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace last Sunday.
Match preview
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The hosts were fortunate to have escaped the Vitality Stadium with all three points when they played Bournemouth given they mustered just six shots - three of which occurred in first-half stoppage time - with the victors registering their final attempt one minute into the second half.
Boss Unai Emery will not care about the nature of the win considering they are only behind the final Champions League qualification spot due to goal difference, though Chelsea still have to face Manchester United, as well as seventh-placed Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season.
Failure to qualify for Europe's premier club competition could have significant consequences on the team's ability to keep their best players amid reports that they are at risk of falling foul of profit and sustainability rules.
Villa have kept two consecutive clean sheets coming into Friday's game, and they have in fact prevented their opponents from scoring in five of their last eight top-flight matches, conceding just three times in that period.
Emery's side have been excellent in the Premier League, winning seven of their past eight while losing just one and scoring 16 goals.
The hosts' record at home has been phenomenal, with the club undefeated in their 20 most recent outings at Villa Park, achieving victory 14 times, including in each of their last seven at the stadium.
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As for Tottenham, they could have easily conceded more than twice against Palace considering the Eagles produced 23 shots, 10 efforts on target and eight big chances.
Head coach Ange Postecoglou has overseen arguably the Londoners' worst ever Premier League season, and a loss on Friday would be the team's 21st defeat in 37 league matches.
Tottenham have already played the hosts twice this term, losing 2-1 in the FA Cup at Villa Park on February 9, but winning 4-1 at home on November 3, 2024 in the top flight.
The Australian manager has suggested that Spurs' poor domestic showings are a consequence of both injuries and their exploits in the Europa League, making the case that his side's focus has been on reaching the final of the tournament.
Postecoglou has suffered seven defeats in his last 10 fixtures in the Premier League, with his only victory in that period a 3-1 triumph against last-placed Southampton on April 6.
The visitors are also winless in their past five on the road in the league, losing four times while conceding 13 goals and scoring on just four occasions.
Team News
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Emery will be without suspended attacker Jacob Ramsey following his dismissal against Bournemouth, and that will give the boss a dilemma given Marcus Rashford is dealing with a hamstring injury.
Striker Ollie Watkins could be supported by an attacking unit consisting of Morgan Rogers, Marco Asensio and John McGinn.
Though metronome Youri Tielemans is set to miss a few weeks of action, midfielders Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana are available, and the duo may be stationed ahead of centre-backs Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres.
Tottenham attacker James Maddison has been ruled out for the rest of the season, but news that Dejan Kulusevski has undergone surgery means that Postecoglou's squad has been depleted of ahead of next Wednesday's Europa League final.
Perhaps Son Heung-min will start in the forward line alongside Brennan Johnson and Richarlison, though the former two are unlikely to see out the 90 minutes given the final takes place next week.
Archie Gray, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr could feature in a midfield three considering Lucas Bergvall is dealing with an ankle injury.
Centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are not likely to be risked from the start due to the fact the pair have often been sidelined this season, so perhaps Ben Davies and Kevin Danso should be expected to appear ahead of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Onana; Rogers, Asensio, McGinn; Watkins
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence; Gray, Bissouma, Sarr; Johnson, Richarlison, Son
We say: Aston Villa 4-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Villa's Premier League form has been exceptional and they will be confident of being able to push towards the Champions League spots.
Tottenham are certain to rest many of their starters, and the players on the pitch will have their focus elsewhere, so it would not be surprising if the visitors were comfortably beaten.
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Lewis Nolan
