A mouth-watering clash awaits on Sunday in a Premier League showdown between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.
Fresh from being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace, Villa will be looking to continue their excellent run of form in the Premier League.
It’s seven games unbeaten for Unai Emery’s men, who last tasted defeat against Arsenal in August, and that was a match they were unfortunate to lose.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglu has praised Emery ahead of this clash but Spurs are set to be without star defender Micky van de Ven.
That will be music to the ears of Ollie Watkins, as he’ll feel he can do some damage in behind without the pace of van de Ven to stop him.
Paul Merson has predicted Villa to beat Spurs on Sunday, with another pundit now sharing his prediction for the match.
Chris Sutton predicts Tottenham vs Aston Villa
In the race for the top four, this is a huge game for both sides, as Villa can open an eight-point gap between them and Spurs in the Champions League places with a win.
The Villans are looking to break a 100-year record by winning three successive league away matches at Tottenham, and Chris Sutton unfortunately doesn’t think they will.
Although he has no doubt Villa will score and predicts plenty of goals, he does think the spoils will be shared with a 2-2 draw.
For BBC Sport, Sutton wrote: “The away team won on both occasions when these two sides met last season, and you could make a case for Tottenham or Aston Villa coming out on top here.
“I do like the way Spurs play but they could do with having Son Heung-min fit – he has missed three of their past four league games – and they have a few other injuries too.
Whoever is missing, though, Ange Postecoglou will not change his bullish approach. I admire that, and I find it amazing the way people view Spurs at the moment.
“They have won eight of their past 10 games in all competitions, which is pretty good I think, but there is always this underlying ‘Spursy’ or ‘typical Spurs’ label they get given whenever they slip up.
“That could happen here, of course. Spurs will dominate the ball this time too, but I have got no doubt that Villa will score, because they carry such a threat and their front players will definitely have their moments in this game.
“So, there will definitely be plenty of goals… but maybe there won’t be a winner this time – Tottenham have not had a draw since the first game of the season, and I think they will get one here.”
Morgan Rogers can set Tottenham vs Aston Villa alight
Watkins is the talisman for Villa, continuing where he left off last season with five goals and two assists in nine Premier League appearances.
For the visitors to grab at least a point or all three from North London, Watkins will likely be involved, and so will Morgan Rogers.
Rogers has transformed into an incredible attacking midfielder this term, producing countless ‘unplayable’ performances.
The 22-year-old has two goals and two assists in his last five matches and looks set to play a vital role against Tottenham.
Picking up the ball between the lines and driving at a Spurs defence without van de Ven there is the stuff of nightmares for the opposition, as Rogers can run riot.
