The FA Cup takes center stage in North London this Saturday evening.
Tottenham are in full crisis mode. They sit 14th in the Premier League table. They just lost 3-2 to Bournemouth in the 95th minute. The fans are furious. To make things worse manager Thomas Frank was pictured drinking from a coffee cup with an Arsenal logo on it! The atmosphere at the stadium will be toxic. They need a win to calm the storm.
Aston Villa are the opposite. They are fighting for the title in 3rd place. They missed a chance to close the gap on leaders Arsenal after a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace but they are still confident. Unai Emery’s side has already beaten Spurs 2-1 at this stadium three months ago. They love playing against Tottenham.
Can Spurs put the drama aside for 90 minutes or will Villa pile more misery on Thomas Frank?
Algeria vs Nigeria: Key Stats
Head-to-head (all-time): Spurs 28 wins, Villa 18 wins, 12 draws
Tottenham: Won 18 of last 19 FA Cup third-round ties
Tottenham: Winless in 2026, 8 league defeats this season
Aston Villa: Won last 3 meetings vs Spurs in all competitions
Aston Villa: Won 9 of last 10 Premier League matches
Morgan Rogers: 5 goal contributions in 4 games vs Spurs
What to Expect: Injuries vs The H2H Curse
Tottenham;
The injury list is a disaster. Solanke, Maddison (ACL), Kulusevski, Udogie, Kudus, and Bentancur are ALL OUT. Spurs are missing their entire spine. Backup goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky is set to start. Richarlison will have to lead the line with support from Xavi Simons. Thomas Frank is fighting for his life. If Villa score early the fans might turn on the manager again.
Aston Villa;
Villa are missing Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley. But they have Pau Torres back in defense. Unai Emery knows exactly how to beat this Spurs team. He will target their weak defense with Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen. Villa looked tired in the 0-0 draw with Palace so expect some rotation but they have enough quality to win.
Predicted Lineups
Tottenham (4-2-3-1) ⚪: Kinsky; Spence, Danso, Van de Ven, Davies; Palhinha, Gray; Kolo Muani, Simons, Tel; Richarlison
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1) 🦁: Bizot; Garcia, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Bogarde, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Sancho; Malen
Players and Matchups to Watch
Morgan Rogers: The "Spurs Killer." He scores or assists almost every time he plays them.
Richarlison: With Solanke out he is the main man. He needs to score to save his manager.
Xavi Simons: The creative spark for Spurs. Can he unlock the Villa defense?
Youri Tielemans: He will control the midfield battle against the young Archie Gray.
Odds Market on MSport
💵 Aston Villa to win: 2.35
💵 Tottenham to win: 2.85
💵 Draw: 3.60
💵 Morgan Rogers Anytime Goalscorer: 3.10
💵 Both Teams To Score: 1.50
It is hard to back Tottenham right now. The manager is under fire and the injury list includes their best players (Maddison, Solanke, Kudus). Aston Villa are organized and have beaten Spurs three times in a row. Morgan Rogers loves this fixture and history will repeat itself.
Prediction: Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa
By Kelvin Amaniampong | Editor-in-Chief
