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Aston Villa vs Tottenham LIVE: FA Cup team news and line-ups with Marcus Rashford set for debut

Villa and Spurs clash in an all Premier League cup tie at Villa Park, with Unai Emery able to utilise Marcus Rashford after landing the Manchester United forward during the January transfer window

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Aston Villa face Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup when the two teams clash with each other at Villa Park.

Tottenham come into the game on the back of a resounding 4-0 loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final. Ange Postecoglou’s men were played off the park at Anfield and didn’t register a shot on target during their failed attempt to reach Wembley.

The pressure continues to mount on Postecoglou, with Spurs also languishing in 14th in the Premier League, but progressing into the next round would bring some breathing room.

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, meanwhile, lost 2-0 to rivals Wolves last weekend, but their season is progressing well. They sit eighth in the league and have secured an automatic place in the last 16 of the Champions League. Victory over Spurs would continue their strong form and they may call on new recruit Marcus Rashford after his January move from Manchester United.

Follow all the FA Cup action with our live blog below:

Tottenham are in limbo as Ange Postecoglou must ponder what comes next

Ange Postecoglou may be a prisoner of his deeds. Or he may be a prisoner of his words. “I don't usually win things, I always win things in my second year,” he memorably said in September. There are times when it seems that Postecoglou can specialise in backing himself into corners, while simultaneously picking hills to die upon.

He may need to downgrade ‘always’ back to ‘usually’: after a 4-0 Carabao Cup shellacking at Anfield, Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of domestic silverware could be ended within four days. It would leave only the Europa League and him probably with nothing to show for his season.

It may put him in good company. Tottenham’s finest managers of the last three decades, in Mauricio Pochettino, Martin Jol and Harry Redknapp, won nothing. Their only trophies in that time came from two unloved figures, in George Graham and Juande Ramos. Given chairman Daniel Levy’s apparent lack of interest in honours and focus on the bottom line, the more damning and damaging detail is the Premier League table, showing Tottenham in 14th, on course for their lowest finish in 21 years. They have not ended up below 14th for 31, since they were managed by Ossie Ardiles, another romantic from thousands of miles away who is fondly remembered for his attacking ethos but who was undermined by a combination of results and a seeming lack of interest in defending.

Tottenham are in limbo as Ange Postecoglou must ponder what comes next

Spurs crashed out the Carabao Cup with a limp second-leg defeat to Liverpool and Postecoglou needs to quickly turn their season around

Chris Wilson9 February 2025 15:15

Mathys Tel to make first Tottenham start against Aston Villa in FA Cup

Mathys Tel is poised to start for Tottenham Hotspur against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Tel made his debut for Spurs against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final midweek, coming on in the first half as Ange Postecoglou’s side went down 4-0.

After the former Bayern star replaced the injured Richarlison, who has suffered a calf injury, and with fellow forward Dominic Solanke also on the sidelines hurt, Tel is ready to take on a leading role at Villa Park.

Mathys Tel to make first Tottenham start against Aston Villa in FA Cup

Mathys Tel made his debut off the bench during Tottenham’s abject 4-0 loss at Liverpool

Chris Wilson9 February 2025 15:00

Prediction

With Spurs still facing an injury crisis and off the back off a bruising loss in the Carabao Cup, it is difficult to see anything other than a Villa win this evening.

Aston Villa 3-1 Tottenham.

Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:45

Predicted line-ups

Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Garcia, Konsa, Kamara, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Ramsey; Rashford.

Tottenham XI: Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur, Sarr; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son.

Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:40

Team news

In his own press conference, Postecoglou said that no players will be returning to the squad ahead of the match, with Dominic Solanke, Cristian Romero, James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson all out for the long-term. In addition, it was recently confirmed that Radu Dragusin has suffered an ACL injury.

In addition, Richarlison will likely miss the matcha after coming off injured against Liverpool, though the layoff for the calf injury is not yet clear. Micky van de Ven will also likely be unavailable for selection.

Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:35

Team news

Speaking to the media in the lead-up to the game, Emery confirmed that Matty Cash, Pau Torres, Ross Barkley, Tyrone Mings and Ollie Watkins will all miss the game, with the latter having come off at half-time during the defeat to Wolves.

Axel Disasi is cup-tied, having already appeared for chelsea earlier in the season, though new signing Marcus Rashford could make his debut, as could fellow January addition Marco Asensio.

Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:27

Is Aston Villa vs Tottenham on TV?

When is Aston Villa vs Tottenham?

The FA Cup fixture will kick off at 5.45pm GMT on Sunday 9 February at Villa Park in Birmingham.

What TV channel is it on?

This fixture will be shown free-to-air on BBC One in the UK, with subscribers also able to watch online via BBC iPlayer. Coverage begins at 5.20pm.

Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:20

Aston Villa vs Tottenham LIVE

Aston Villa take on Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park in the fourth round of the FA Cup today, with the visitors hoping to bounce back from an embarrassing defeat last time out.

Spurs were soundly beaten by Liverpool in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final in midweek, and were widely criticised for the performance in the 4-0 loss.

The pressure continues to mount on Ange Postecoglou, with Spurs also languishing in 14th in the Premier League, and today they face a Villa side who themselves had had mixed results in recent weeks.

Unai Emery’s side lost 2-0 to local rivals Wolves last weekend, but their season is far from over both domestically and in Europe, having booked an automatic place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:10

Aston Villa vs Tottenham LIVE

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of today’s FA Cup fourth round match between Aston Villa and Tottenham.

Spurs come into the game off the back of a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, which drew plenty of criticism from fans and pundits.

And today they face a Villa side with some potentially exciting new additions from the January transfer window, with Marcus Rashford potentially making his debut for the Villans.

Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:00

Mathys Tel is poised to start for Tottenham Hotspur against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Tel made his debut for Spurs against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final midweek, coming on in the first half as Ange Postecoglou’s side went down 4-0.

After the former Bayern star replaced the injured Richarlison, who has suffered a calf injury, and with fellow forward Dominic Solanke also on the sidelines hurt, Tel is ready to take on a leading role at Villa Park.

Teenage prospect Tel only made four starts for Bayern Munich during the first half of the season, which resulted in the France Under-21 international seeking a January move and Postecoglou will try to manage the 19-year-old’s minutes.

“For himself and Kevin (Danso) in many respects, it wasn’t an indication of how we want to go about things, but just being out there, playing your first game, you get that out of your system,” Postecoglou reflected.

“We’re going to have to lean on Mathys a fair bit now, but he came here to play.

“His physical condition is not too bad. He hasn’t played a lot but watching him in training and (Thursday) night, he was still moving quite well.

“We have to be careful with him also, but he came here to play and he’ll get an opportunity to do that.”

Postecoglou has limited resources for the quick turnaround to Villa with 12 players set to be absent, which includes Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and Solanke.

It has resulted in extended opportunities for talented teenage summer recruits Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, while 17-year-old Mikey Moore has also earned regular minutes this term.

The number of young players already being used by Postecoglou means he is loathe to put more in from the club’s academy set-up, especially in such high-pressure situations.

He added: “We’ve already got young players out there. There’s 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds, 17-year-olds out there.

“We saw what happened (Thursday) and our players are now getting criticised. Most of them will be able to handle it, but I wouldn’t want to expose a young player to something like that, especially the way the world is today.

“You know we don’t want to make determinations in a snap instance and destroy careers. I’m not going to expose young players who I don’t think are ready for that, so we don’t have the opportunity to rotate.

“I think it will be a similar kind of team that rolls out on Sunday. We’ve been doing this for quite a while now for the last three months and we have handled that pretty well at times and that’s what we will try and do on Sunday.”

Aston Villa take on Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park in the fourth round of the FA Cup today, with the visitors hoping to bounce back from an embarrassing defeat last time out.

Spurs were soundly beaten by Liverpool in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final in midweek, and were widely criticised for the performance in the 4-0 loss.

The pressure continues to mount on Ange Postecoglou, with Spurs also languishing in 14th in the Premier League, and today they face a Villa side who themselves had had mixed results in recent weeks.

Unai Emery’s side lost 2-0 to local rivals Wolves last weekend, but their season is far from over both domestically and in Europe, having booked an automatic place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match:

The FA Cup fixture will kick off at 5.45pm GMT on Sunday 9 February at Villa Park in Birmingham.

This fixture will be shown free-to-air on BBC One in the UK, with subscribers also able to watch online via BBC iPlayer. Coverage begins at 5.20pm.

Speaking to the media in the lead-up to the game, Emery confirmed that Matty Cash, Pau Torres, Ross Barkley, Tyrone Mings and Ollie Watkins will all miss the game, with the latter having come off at half-time during the defeat to Wolves.

Axel Disasi is cup-tied, having already appeared for chelsea earlier in the season, though new signing Marcus Rashford could make his debut, as could fellow January addition Marco Asensio.

In his own press conference, Postecoglou said that no players will be returning to the squad ahead of the match, with Dominic Solanke, Cristian Romero, James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson all out for the long-term. In addition, it was recently confirmed that Radu Dragusin has suffered an ACL injury.

In addition, Richarlison will likely miss the matcha after coming off injured against Liverpool, though the layoff for the calf injury is not yet clear. Micky van de Ven will also likely be unavailable for selection.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Garcia, Konsa, Kamara, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Ramsey; Rashford.

Tottenham XI: Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur, Sarr; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son.

Odds

Aston Villa win - 7/10

Draw - 31/10

Tottenham win - 10/3

With Spurs still facing an injury crisis and off the back off a bruising loss in the Carabao Cup, it is difficult to see anything other than a Villa win this evening.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher claimed League Two side Accrington Stanley were a more difficult opponent for the Reds than Tottenham in their Carabao Cup semi-final.

Arne Slot’s side romped to a 4-0 win in the second leg at Anfield, easily overturning the 1-0 deficit that they had faced from the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, when Lucas Bergvall had given his side the win.

And the abject nature of Spurs’ performance leaves yet more questions over the tactics and future of manager Ange Postecoglou, with Sky Sports pundits heavily criticising the Australian and his players.

Carragher questioned Spurs’ overall approach in a game that saw the visitors register zero shots on target, saying that Accrington Stanley gave Liverpool “more trouble” in the sides’ FA Cup meeting in January, which Liverpool also won 4-0.

“I am not saying this to make a headline. I think Accrington Stanley, Liverpool didn’t have their best team, but they gave more trouble to Liverpool than Tottenham tonight,” said Carragher.

“He’s [Postecoglou] a manager who is just trying to find something and what he’s trying is not working. But this is not just this run. This goes back to last season. I think they’ve lost 20 out of the last 45 games. It’s an awful lot,” Carragher added.

“We’re talking almost 50 per cent of the Premier League games he’s lost going back. This is not just this season.

“Tottenham had such a brilliant start to his first season – top of the league after 10 games. He continued to go with the idea even with nine men – since then the record is horrendous for Tottenham.”

The former Liverpool defender went on to suggest that he wasn’t surprised about the outcome of the match.

"It's Tottenham!” Carragher said. “When do Tottenham ever win a big game? When do Tottenham ever go and surprise, win against the odds?

"The odds were massively in favour against Liverpool, they're at Anfield, they're the best team in the country, possibly the best team in Europe right now.

"But it's not just this Spurs team. They never shock you, never do something out of the ordinary,” he added.

Liverpool have work to do when they host Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg this evening.

The Reds lost the first leg 1-0 in London after Lucas Bergvall scored late in the game to give Spurs the win and, more crucially, a slim advantage heading into tonight’s match at Anfield. Arne Slot’s men have the ability and willingness to come from behind and reach the final at Wembley. Liverpool have lost just one of their last seven, when Slot fielded a weakened team in the Champions League against PSV, and two goals from Mo Salah in their recent win over Bournemouth means their leading goalscorer is in top form.

Tottenham, meanwhile, have struggled to build any momentum in their recent games but a confidence-boosting win over Brentford came at the right time for Ange Postecoglou’s side. They’ve won consecutive games for the first time in a month and hope to avoid defeat this evening to secure a spot at Wembley.

Ange Postecoglou has insisted Mathys Tel will be a Tottenham player next season.

Spurs pulled off an eye-catching deadline day move when they brought in Bayern Munich forward Tel on a six-month loan.

The deal includes the option for Tottenham to make the move permanent for a fee of 55million euros (45.8m) plus 5m euros (£4.1m) in add-ons and, while Tel has a say in that clause, the PA news agency understands he has already agreed a six-year contract which highlights his willingness to stay long-term.

Asked ahead of Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Liverpool if Tel will be a Spurs player next season, Postecoglou declared: “He’ll be a Tottenham player, mate.

“He’ll be a Tottenham player. I think he’ll show everyone he’s going to be a Tottenham player in the next six months. I didn’t bring him here for six months.

“I think he is very, very exciting. When you meet him, you realise he’s got that bit about him as a person who has enormous self-belief and confidence in what he can do and what he wants to do.

“Even though he’s young, physically he’s already in a place where he can take on the enormous challenges of being an attacking player in the Bundesliga and I think he can handle the Premier League.

“He’s a goalscorer, he can take people on, he’s got speed. He is exciting. I’d be very surprised if there was a club that wouldn’t be interested in somebody like him.

“Irrespective of the situation we’re in, us being able to get him in and the circumstances behind it, is fantastic for the football club.”

Postecoglou defended Tel’s right to take his time over the decision after it appeared talks with the 19-year-old had collapsed last Friday before a conversation with the Spurs boss on Sunday seemed the clincher.

All eyes will be on what role Tel has in Tottenham’s biggest match of the season away to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final, where they hold a one-goal advantage from last month’s first leg.

While Spurs’ form in the Premier League has taken a hit over the past three months due to a hefty injury crisis, Postecoglou has navigated cup progress and they are on the verge of a first Wembley final in four years.

Current captain Son Heung-min featured in that Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City and is the longest serving player after Ben Davies, who joined in 2014. Postecoglou can sense in the duo a desire to end the club’s well-documented 17-year trophy drought.

“I think he’s got a real clear focus in his eye that he senses an opportunity for us as a football club, not just for himself, to have success this year,” Postecoglou said of Son.

“Ben Davies is another one who’s really stepped up in recent times. Two guys who have been at this club for a long time and understand what success will do for this club.

“For Sonny, everything he’s done for the club, it would be more than fitting for him to get some trophies to add to his status at this club.”

A cauldron of noise awaits at Anfield, but Postecoglou knows Spurs have earned the right to be in this position after wins over Coventry, Manchester City and Manchester United already in the competition.

“To get to a final, it’s going to be hard earned,” Postecoglou added.

“It’s a massive night for us but I think we’ve earned the right to be in this position even though it’s been a real difficult season for us.

“We’ve earned the right to make a big impact.”

Tottenham Hotspur defender Radu Dragusin needs surgery to repair anterior cruciate ligament damage and faces an indefinite spell on the sidelines.

The Romania centre-half sustained the injury during last week’s Europa League win against Elfsborg and was withdrawn at half-time.

Tottenham said: “We can confirm that Radu Dragusin will undergo surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee.

“The 23-year-old defender suffered the injury during our UEFA Europa League victory against Elfsborg last Thursday.

“Radu will be assessed by our medical team to determine when he can return to training.”

Dragusin, signed from Genoa for £25million in January last year, has made a total of 28 appearances for Ange Postecoglou’s side this season, including 14 Premier League starts.

Postecoglou has been short of options in central defence in recent weeks due to an ongoing injury crisis and signed Kevin Danso from Lens on an initial loan deal with a view to a permanent deal towards the end of the transfer window.

Centre-half Micky van de Ven returned from an injury lay-off against Elfsborg but did not make the squad for the weekend win against Brentford, while regular starting partner Cristian Romero remains sidelined.

Alongside Danso, Spurs also added Mathys Tel to their squad on deadline day to bolster Postecoglou’s options further up the field.

PA

Brentford fc host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this afternoon with the aim of moving into the top half of the table.

The Bees hope to build on a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace when they welcome the struggling Spurs and Thomas Frank’s side know three points would lift them above Brighton into 10th. Bryan Mbeumo is in a rich vein of form with four goals and an assist from his last five league outings and could cause serious issues for Tottenham’s makeshift defence.

Ange Postecoglou is under increased pressure to turn around Tottenham’s league form with Spurs on a three-game losing streak. They are down to 16th in the table and are juggling an ever-growing list of injuries which doesn’t help matters. Radu Dragusin is the latest defender to pick up a knock though Tottenham were given a boost by the return of Micky van de Ven for their Europa League win over Elfsborg during the week.

Liveupdated

Tottenham have announced the signing of defender Kevin Danso from Ligue 1 side RC Lens.

Danso is a 26-year-old central defender and will join the north Londond club on an initial loan until the end of the season with Tottenham having an obligation to make the move permanent in the summer.

The total deal is believed to have cost around €25m (£21m) and Danso has agreed a deal to keep him at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium until 2030.

Fellow Premier League club Wolves had a verbal agreement with Danso who was due to undergo a medical with the midlands team on Sunday 2 February but the defender switched his allegiance to Spurs at the last minute.

Wolves were told of the Austria international’s intentions to join Spurs following their 2-0 victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.

Spurs, meanwhile, have been in the market for a defender after repeated injuries to their defensive line has seen them slip to 16th in the table. Radu Dragusin is the latest to pick up a knock having been injured in the Europa League win over Elfsborg on Thursday.

Micky van de Ven made his return from injury in the same game but Cristian Romero remains absent. As such Tottenham are in need of Danso’s services.

The club released a statement announcing Danso’s signing which reads: “We are delighted to announce the signing of Kevin Danso on loan from Ligue 1 side RC Lens, subject to international clearance and work permit.

“The Austria international defender will join the Club on loan until the end of the season, with an obligation to make the deal permanent in the summer. He will wear the number four shirt.

“A commanding centre-back, he joined RC Lens in August, 2021, and an impressive second season saw him named in the Ligue 1 team of the year after helping the French side to a second place finish, which saw them claim a spot in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage.

“During his time with RC Lens, Kevin made 128 appearances for the club in all competitions, finding the net on four occasions.

“On the international stage, he has featured for Austria across numerous age categories and earned his senior debut in September, 2017. He has 24 caps for his country to date and represented Austria at Euro 2024.”