Tottenham were handed a huge relegation boost on Saturday after biggest rivals for the drop West Ham failed to pick up any points from their encounter with Brentford.
The Bees ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at the Gtech Community Stadium, leaving the Hammers two points clear of Spurs at the bottom of the Premier League table having played a game more.
That means Tottenham can move out of the bottom three with victory in their game against Aston Villa on Sunday evening - no mean feat of course since Spurs' win over Wolves last weekend was their first of 2026.
Two More Spurs Players Join Injury List
Tottenham would even close the gap to Nottingham Forest to just two points, with Vitor Pereira's side not in action until Monday afternoon, when they take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Spurs head coach will have some difficult decisions to make in his starting lineup, with a dearth of options available to him given the horrific injury list in N17.
Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke joined their teammates on the sidelines following the win over Wolves last weekend, meaning that eight players will miss the trip to Villa Park.
At the back, Antonin Kinsky will start in goal, with De Zerbi confirming in his press conference that Guglielmo Vicario was not ready to return to the squad just yet.
Ahead of him there are not too many decisions to make. Pedro Porro starts at right-back, with Kevin Danso and Micky van de Ven in the centre. The main decision comes at left-back.
De Zerbi said on Destiny Udogie: "Udogie can be available, yes. I don't know if at the beginning of the game or in the second half, but he's available, yes."
The fact he even brought up the beginning of the game suggests he will be on the bench, meaning Djed Spence starts.
Then ahead of them in the two in midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur has to start. He has made a huge difference to the side since returning from injury and is an outlet for the defenders, getting the ball on the half turn.
Alongside him it could be Conor Gallagher or Yves Bissouma and we're going to go for the energy and more forward-thinking Bissouma.
Is James Maddison Fit To Play Against Aston Villa?
Tottenham's biggest problem will be their creativity. James Maddison has returned to the squad, but is not likely to be ready to start games. De Zerbi said on Friday: "I would like to play with him, because he's a special player, he's a different player, but we have to consider the physical condition, a lot of things. But I think he can be important in the next three games."
Spurs have four games left, so perhaps De Zerbi referencing the "next three games" was more looking at the final three fixtures of the season.
Lucas Bergvall is not a 10, nor is Gallagher, nor Archie Gray. It may well be squre pegs in round holes here. Pape Matar Sarr should return from injury and we're going to go with him in there, with Mathys Tel off the left and Randal Kolo Muani off the right, supporting Richarlison through the middle.