Tottenham will need a win and hope West Ham drop points to leave the relegation zone.
Tottenham found a way to get three points last weekend, but it was against a side at the base of the Premier League table, and the task at hand is just about to get real, going into the final four games of the season, and it starts with a trip to Villa Park this weekend where Roberto De Zerbi & Co. will face Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.
And with survival on the line, Roberto De Zerbi will need to find a way past an Aston Villa side that, despite losing the past couple of games, looks quite settled and tactically clear.
But Aston Villa have a crucial 1-0 deficit (in the Europa League semi-finals) to think about going into this game, so will it change how they are expected to line up? Just to add a bit of context here, as much as that UEL semis, Villa also have to keep their fifth position to qualify for the Champions League next season, and you’d expect Emery to compound on strengthening that position as well against a struggling Tottenham side.
Aston Villa predicted XI vs Tottenham
Goalkeeper: Emi Martinez
There is not even a question over who starts in goal for Villa. Emi has nailed his place, and he is surely one of the better keepers in the Premier League.
Backline: Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Lucas Digne
Matty Cash is expected to start in that right full-back role, where he will likely give Villa a sense of width on the right as he will try to pin the visitors’ left side a bit deeper, especially given how Tottenham have struggled with containing balls from wide areas. And this is where the Pole can haunt Tottenham with his overlapping runs. It is kind of similar dynamics on the other full-back flank with Lucas Digne.
Konsa partners Torres at the heart of defence. While Konsa is a beast in 1v1s and covering the defensive lines, his partner in Torres can haunt Tottenham given his playmaking capabilities. Torres has that ability to break lines with passes, and having that against a De Zerbi system that presses in phases, he will need to keep a sense of composure given that Tottenham will try to put pressure on him with an aggressive press every time he receives the ball in the first phase.
Midfield pivot: Youri Tielemans and Douglas Luiz
Tielemans have the capacity to dictate the tempo of the game and is someone who has that capacity to keep the game ticking in possession. But the Belgian does so with his carries while his partner Douglas Luiz does the same with his passing abilities.
Both of them are potent to find spaces between the lines, and Tottenham will have to take care not to give them any sense of space between the lines because if they do, Villa will try to create a panic situation in that backline, and we all know how Tottenham have reacted to panic situations on the defensive side of things this season.
Attacking midfield: Morgan Rogers, John McGinn and Jadon Sancho
All three of them are quite potent with their creative abilities (something that Tottenham have struggled with this season).
We all know how Rogers likes to drive forward and have defenders commit to his runs, and he will look to attack the space between the midfield and defence (one area that Spurs often leave exposed). Then comes McGinn with that unpredictability. McGinn is also quite an energetic presence from the middle of the park.
Sancho should likely attempt some 1v1s by isolating his immediate opponent.
Striker: Ollie Watkins
Watkins can also be a big problem for Tottenham given how he likes to constantly run in behind. One of the central defenders will have to keep track of that drop of shoulders before he runs into the space.
Aston Villa predicted XI vs Tottenham: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Tielemans, Luiz; Rogers, McGinn, Sancho; Watkins