SPURS BRACED FOR PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AGAINST VILLA
BOTH SPURS AND VILLA ENTER SUNDAY’S CONTEST ON A GOOD RUN OF FORM.
THE LILYWHITES, DESPITE SOME NEAR MISSES, HAVEN’T LOST A SINGLE GAME IN ALL COMPETITIONS SINCE THEIR 1-0 DEFEAT AT HOME TO BOURNEMOUTH, SHOWING REAL GRIT AND RESILIENCE TO BATTLE THROUGH TESTING SCENARIOS AND COME THROUGH UNSCATHED. OVER THEIR LAST THREE GAMES, TOTTENHAM NICKED A DRAMATIC 1-1 DRAW AT HOME TO WOLVES COURTESY OF A LAST-GASP EQUALISER FROM JOAO PALHINHA, FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER DRAW AWAY TO NORWEGIAN SIDE BODO/GLIMT IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. HISTORY ALMOST REPEATED ITSELF WHEN NOAH OKAFOR EQUALISED FOR LEEDS AT ELLAND ROAD, BUT MAN OF THE MATCH MOHAMMED KUDUS SEALED A 2-1 WIN TO END LEEDS’ YEAR-LONG UNBEATEN HOME RUN AND BREAK SPURS’ PRE-INTERNATIONAL BREAK CURSE.
SPURS HAVE SHOWN THEY CAN GRIND OUT RESULTS UNDER THEIR NEW MANAGER, WITH A NEWFOUND DEFENSIVE STEEL MISSING FROM ANGE POSTECOGLOU’S EUROPA LEAGUE-WINNING SQUAD LAST SEASON.
VILLA, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAD A TOUGH START TO THE 25/26 CAMPAIGN, FAILING TO SCORE A PREMIER LEAGUE GOAL UNTIL THEIR SIXTH GAME. SINCE MATTY CASH’S WONDER STRIKE AGAINST SUNDERLAND, HOWEVER, UNAI EMERY’S MEN HAVE WON FOUR STRAIGHT GAMES IN ALL COMPETITIONS AND COME INTO THIS CLASH FULL OF CONFIDENCE.
FRANK FACES BIG DECISIONS AHEAD OF THE WEEKEND — WHETHER TO STICK WITH MATHYS TEL UP FRONT IN PLACE OF RICHARLISON, OR BRING BACK DOMINIC SOLANKE, WHO IS RECOVERING FROM SURGERY AND BACK IN TRAINING. “DOM IS PROGRESSING WELL,” FRANK CONFIRMED IN HIS PRESS CONFERENCE.
IN A MAJOR BOOST, SUMMER SIGNING RANDAL KOLO MUANI IS ALSO NEARING A RETURN AFTER A DEAD LEG KEPT HIM SIDELINED.
THOMAS FRANK PRAISES RANDAL KOLO MUANI IN TOTTENHAM TRAINING
THE DANE REVEALED THAT THE FRENCH FORWARD HAS BEEN GETTING “BETTER AND BETTER” IN TRAINING, AND COULD FEATURE AGAINST VILLA. THE 26-YEAR-OLD, ON LOAN FROM PSG, HAS PLAYED JUST 13 MINUTES FOR SPURS SO FAR DUE TO INJURY, BUT HIS RETURN IS A BIG BOOST FOR FRANK.
KOLO MUANI, WHO SCORED 23 GOALS AND 17 ASSISTS FOR EINTRACHT FRANKFURT IN THE 2022/23 SEASON AND IMPRESSED ON LOAN AT JUVENTUS LAST YEAR, COULD SOON PLAY A KEY ROLE AT TOTTENHAM. SIGNED AS ONE OF DANIEL LEVY’S FINAL ACTS AS CHAIRMAN, SOME EVEN BELIEVE HE COULD EMERGE AS THE CLUB’S BEST STRIKER AHEAD OF SOLANKE.
