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With the Europa League final a little over a week away, Ange Postecoglou still has some tough calls to make regarding his starting XI against Aston Villa on Friday night. Let’s take a look at our predicted Tottenham XI to face Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur are now a spot above the relegation zone, after suffering their 20th Premier League defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace.

Next up for the Lilywhites is a trip to Villa Park, where they are set to take on Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, a side chasing a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League.

Ange Postecoglou is set to have a selection headache, with the Australian now needing to decide whether or not to start his first eleven or give another chance to his fringe players.

Let’s take a look at our predicted Tottenham XI to take on Aston Villa this weekend.

Predicted Tottenham XI vs Aston Villa in the Premier League

Goalkeeper – Guglielmo Vicario: Antonin Kinsky was handed a rare start against Crystal Palace and, to his credit, did not look out of place, making a couple of decent stops to keep the scoreline in check. However, with the Europa League final on the horizon, we expect Guglielmo Vicario to return between the sticks.

Right-back – Pedro Porro: Pedro Porro surprisingly started at the weekend when many thought he would be rested. But with the back four needing to rediscover some defensive rhythm ahead of the Manchester United fixture, Porro is expected to start for Tottenham once more.

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Centre-back – Cristian Romero: Cristian Romero was rested last time out and should come straight back into the heart of defence. His aggressive style and leadership are crucial if Tottenham are to get anything from this trip.

Centre-back – Micky van de Ven: We expect Micky van de Ven to feature in this clash on Friday night as Postecoglou would be hoping he can build some sharpness ahead of the United tie. Though it is unlikely he will play a full ninety.

Left-back – Destiny Udogie: Destiny Udogie is expected to return to the starting XI, replacing Djed Spence, who has endured a difficult few weeks.

Pivot midfielder – Yves Bissouma: Yves Bissouma featured from the bench against Palace and should now be ready to reclaim his spot in Tottenham’s midfield.

Central midfielder – Rodrigo Bentancur: Rodrigo Bentancur was substituted at half-time against Palace in what appeared to be a pre-planned move. He is expected to start again this weekend.

Central midfielder – Pape Sarr: Dejan Kulusevski picked up a knock and will hopefully return to training soon, but his chances of starting the Europa League final are uncertain. There is a chance he starts this one from the bench, with Wilson Odobert or Pape Sarr taking his place.

Left midfielder – Richarlison: Heung-min Son made a brief appearance at the weekend, but it is unlikely he will be thrown in from the start. Richarlison is expected to feature on the left.

Striker – Dominic Solanke: Dominic Solanke was rested against Palace but should return to lead the line. His hold-up play and finishing ability will be key if Spurs are to threaten Villa’s defence.

Tottenham Hotspur are back under the lights this Friday night, as Ange Postecoglou’s men travel to Villa Park in what is their final league game before their decisive Europa League final matchup. Here’s how to watch the clash between Tottenham and Aston Villa on Friday.

Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action later this week, after the league granted Spurs’ request to have the fixture against Aston Villa rescheduled to accommodate their Europa League run.

The last time these two sides met, Tottenham Hotspur thrashed Aston Villa 4-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, producing a stunning second-half display that blew Unai Emery’s men away.

Aston Villa are firmly in the race for a UEFA Champions League place, currently sitting sixth and trailing fourth-placed Manchester City by just three points as the season nears its conclusion.

This upcoming meeting will be Spurs’ final league outing before they head to Bilbao to take on Manchester United in the Europa League final – a historic opportunity for the north London club.

When and where is the game?

The Premier League fixture between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur will take place at Villa Park on Friday, 16 May 2025, with kick-off scheduled for 7:30 PM (UK time).

How to watch Tottenham vs Aston Villa in the Premier League

Supporters in the United Kingdom can catch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR, with full coverage and analysis available across both platforms.

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Spurs and Aston Villa team news ahead of Villa Park clash

Tottenham Hotspur are heading into this encounter with several notable injury concerns. Radu Dragusin is sidelined with an ACL injury and will miss the remainder of the season, while James Maddison is also unavailable following the knee injury he sustained in the first leg against Bodo/Glimt.

Lucas Bergvall is another absentee, ruled out for the rest of the campaign due to ankle ligament damage, adding to Ange Postecoglou’s selection headache.

Aston Villa, on the other hand, have their issues, with Jacob Ramsey suspended for this one. Marcus Rashford is also set to miss out with a hamstring problem, while Youri Tielemans remains unavailable due to a muscular injury.

Spurs Web Prediction

Tottenham’s performances in the Premier League have been appalling, to say the least. Aston Villa, driven by the lure of Champions League football, will be determined to get the better of Spurs under the Friday night lights.

Ange Postecoglou may choose to field his strongest available side, aiming to rebuild momentum before their European final on 21 May.

Tottenham could nick a result if they replicate the kind of football they have played in the Europa League this season. However, Villa’s energy and directness might be too much to handle, and the Lilywhites could very well slump to their 21st league defeat of the campaign.

Eric Dier has opened up on what it feels like to finally win the first trophy of his career, admitting that he feared he would never be able to win one before hanging up his boots after failing to get over the line time and again at Tottenham.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs side would arguably go down in history as one of the best sides to have never won any silverware.

Under the Argentine, Spurs competed for the Premier League twice, amassing 86 points during the 2016-17 season and falling short in various semifinals and finals, including the 2019 Champions League final.

After going through the heartbreak of that Tottenham journey, Harry Kane and Eric Dier now finally have the sweet feeling of success after Bayern Munich were crowned Bundesliga champions.

Eric Dier admits the winning feeling is better than he imagined

Eric Dier has now opened up on the feeling of failing at the final hurdle with Tottenham and England over the best part of the last decade, admitting that the journey makes this success even sweeter. The centre-back admitted that there is a bit of relief, given what he went through in North London.

Dier said (via The Sun): “To win a trophy feels good and it feels better than anyone has ever described. Obviously, it’s been a long time coming. The longer you go, the more you wonder if it’ll happen. And I think that is normal, especially when you have close calls and you don’t get it.

“I think back a lot to the first season at Spurs when we were in the Carabao Cup final in 2015 and we lost that. There are always a lot of ‘what-ifs’ in your life and your career. And if I had got a trophy that early on, then who knows what would have happened.

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“But it doesn’t matter now, I’ve got it. It’s been an amazing year. Being in an environment where you learn how to win and what it takes to do it, does help. There’s an aspect of relief that you’ve finally done it. It’s a huge weight off my shoulders in that sense, but obviously it is not about me or any individual, it’s a huge collective effort.”

When asked about the fact that he won it alongside his longtime friend and teammate Kane, Dier responded: “Yes, for me to win it with Harry is incredibly special. We’ve played together since we were 20 and in the England national teams before that. We were together when we officially won it the other night and that was a special moment for us.”

Dier reveals he could have stayed at Bayern Munich

The former Tottenham man will leave the Allianz Arena when his contract runs out at the end of this season.

Dier has now confirmed that the Bundesliga giants did offer him a one-year extension, but he decided to sign for Monaco, who showed that they really wanted him by offering a two-year contract.

The England international said about his departure from Bavaria: “We had good conversations with the club, but just couldn’t find an agreement, so then I started to look at what I thought would be the best opportunity for myself.

“Now I’m very excited. You don’t have regrets, but when you’re in one place for a long time, you don’t realise the big world out there. Football is very big in lots of different countries, and you can learn a lot just by moving around and into different cultures, different types of football, different leagues — so I think it’ll do me good.

“Monaco really, really wanted me, and I appreciated that. They made all the effort for me to go there, so I’m talking about it, but I don’t think it’s official yet!”

Johnny Cardoso is reportedly expecting several offers to leave Real Betis this season, and Tottenham Hotspur may not be able to strike a deal with the midfielder despite their clause to buy him this summer.

It has been widely reported over recent weeks that Spurs are expected to activate the £21m option to buy Cardoso this summer, with the North London club convinced that the midfielder will be a valuable addition to the squad.

That is not surprising when one considers the way the 23-year-old has kicked on this season, with the American quickly establishing a reputation as one of the best players in his position in La Liga.

However, over recent weeks, some sources from Spain have suggested that Cardoso may turn down a move to Tottenham and remain at Betis for one more season, and a fresh update has now explained why the operation might be complicated for the Lilywhites to complete.

Johnny Cardoso is expecting more lucrative offers than Tottenham

According to El Desmarque, the Betis man has not yet decided where he wants to play his football next season.

The report points out that Tottenham’s clause is only active during June and explains that even if the Premier League side activates the clause, Johnny Cardoso ‘will have the last word’ on whether he wants to move to N17.

The outlet reveals that Cardoso could remain at Benito Villamarín Stadium for one more season and that the player’s entourage are also confident that both Man United and Atletico Madrid will make offers for him.

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While Cardoso is happy and settled in Seville, his representatives are aware that they could receive ‘better offers’, both in terms of sporting merit and financially.

Spurs’ chances of signing Cardoso might depend on one factor

A player of Cardoso’s reputation and potential will be wanted by several top clubs, and he will thus have to be convinced that he can win trophies at Spurs in order to greenlight a move to North London.

One would think that Tottenham would be in a much better position to do that if they win the Europa League and secure qualification to the Champions League.

In fact, one can argue Spurs’ chances of signing many of their top transfer targets this summer could be heavily influenced by the result of next week’s final.

Eric Dier has just won the first trophy of his career, and the centre-back is now desperate for Tottenham Hotspur to break their own trophy drought and lift the Europa League title next week.

It has been 17 years since Tottenham Hotspur last won a piece of silverware, and there have been several great Spurs sides that have since fallen at the final hurdle or two, repeatedly failing to get over the line.

Eric Dier and Harry Kane were part of most of those sides, but they have now managed to get their hands on silverware, with Bayern being crowned Bundesliga champions.

Kane has admitted that he will be cheering Spurs on against Man United, and his Bayern teammate has now also spoken about the upcoming Europa League final.

Eric Dier claims Tottenham are on the cusp of an incredible achievement

Dier has even more connections with the current Spurs set-up than Kane does, with the centre-back having worked under Ange Postecoglou for the first half of last season before making the switch to Germany.

The 31-year-old has now confessed that he would be incredibly pleased to see his former teammates and coaches get over the line and lift the trophy in Bilbao.

When asked about Tottenham’s upcoming Europa League final, Dier said (via The Sun): “It will be incredible, and I still know a lot of the players and so much of the staff. So, I’d be incredibly happy for them to win and for the club.”

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Eric Dier still has England ambitions

Dier came for a lot of flak during his final few seasons in the Premier League, but he has proven his doubters wrong, playing a key role for Bayern, both under Thomas Tuchel and Vincent Kompany.

The centre-back will leave Bavaria this summer to join Monaco this summer, and being stuck on 49 England caps since 2022, the former Tottenham man still has not given up hope of reaching a quarter of a century and more, with Tuchel now at the helm of the Three Lions.

When asked if he believes he can still feature for England, Dier simply responded: “I hope so. I think I’m playing my best football.”

Tottenham’s former chief scout Leonardo Gabbanini has now given an extraordinary interview in which he has criticised the club for hiring Ange Postecoglou as well as for the recruitment decisions they made last summer.

Gabbanini joined as Tottenham Hotspur’s chief scout in 2022 – one of Fabio Paratici’s hires – and he left the club at the start of the 2023-24 season, just as Ange Postecoglou, Scott Munn and Johan Lange were arriving through the door.

However, according to reports, Gabbanini continued working as a consultant for Spurs until earlier this year, helping the Lilywhites identify targets who are undervalued by the market.

Now that the Italian has cut ties with the Premier League side, he has given a candid interview in which he has criticised some of the big decisions the Spurs hierarchy made.

Leonardo Gabbanini makes an admission about Ange Postecoglou’s appointment

The 45-year-old has admitted that he was involved in the decision to hire Postecoglou two years ago, explaining that the Tottenham hierarchy wanted someone who could deliver attractive football. However, Gabbanini hints that the Australians’ lack of experience at the highest level was an issue.

He told FirenzeViola about Tottenham’s march to the Europa League final: “The final is the completion of an unfinished journey in the sense that it began two years ago, which coincided with my departure, but in which we chose the coach.

“First, there was Conte, who maximised the results, but then the owners decided to take a coach who would make people play and have fun, and we chose him, and a team was created for him, but in the Premier League, he was a rookie.”

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Gabbanini says Postecoglou did not get the right players

The former Spurs chief scout suggested that recruitment under Postecoglou was initially very effective, but suggested that the Lilywhites made some errors in the transfer market last summer.

Gabbanini claimed that Tottenham signed players who were not particularly well suited to the 59-year-old’s system.

He added: “Very good young players were taken (signed by Spurs). Then last year, they started well, but then they took players who were not suited to his game.

An experienced player who Tottenham Hotspur let go last season is now making the North London club rue their decision, with the player now having an astonishing 26 goal contributions so far across 2024-25.

Many of Tottenham’s forwards have failed to hit the expected heights this season, which has been one of the main reasons for the Lilywhites’ struggles in the Premier League.

Heung-min Son has failed to live up to his own high standards this season, while many of Tottenham’s other wide players and forwards have blown hot and cold through much of the campaign.

However, it turns out that one man who Ange Postecoglou’s men let go last year is winding back the clock with his brilliant showing in the Eredivisie.

Ivan Perisic’s outstanding stats for PSV Eindhoven this season

Perisic was brought into Tottenham by Antonio Conte in the summer of 2022, but his time at the North London club did not go according to plan.

After a hit-and-miss first season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Croat picked up an ACL injury at the start of his second season, which ended his Spurs career prematurely, with the Lilywhites allowing him to join Hajduk Split on a free transfer in January of last year.

However, his stay at Hajduk was short-lived as the 36-year-old signed for PSV Eindhoven last summer, and he has had an outstanding season for the Dutch giants so far.

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Perisic was the star of the show for PSV the umpteenth time this season in their clash at Feyenoord on Sunday, helping the away side emerge 3-2 winners with a goal and an assist.

That takes the former Tottenham man’s overall season tally to 15 goals and 11 assists so far, which shows that he still has very much got it.

Did Tottenham make a mistake by letting Perisic go?

It is easy to look back in hindsight and suggest that Spurs should have hung onto Perisic and given him a chance to show what he can do under Postecoglou.

However, it is worth keeping in mind that his contract was about to run out last summer. When a player in his late thirties picks up a long-term injury, it may not be the most prudent move to hand him a new contract.

Tottenham’s summer transfer target, Liam Delap, has just admitted that he is a huge fan of a Spurs teenager who has been making waves at the North London club this season.

Delap has had an excellent debut Premier League season following his switch to Portman Road Stadium last summer, and there is no doubt that he will remain in the top flight despite Ipswich Town’s relegation, with the 22-year-old thought to be on the radar of several big clubs.

It has been widely reported over the past few months that Tottenham are big admirers of Delap and are expected to battle the likes of Chelsea for his signature this summer.

According to various sources, Delap can leave Ipswich for just £30m as a release clause in his contract has become active after Kieran McKenna’s men went down.

Liam Delap is in awe of Archie Gray at Tottenham

Delap is yet to break into the senior England set-up but has been a regular for the Young Lions of late, having scored thrice in 12 appearances for them so far.

During his time in the Under-21s, the striker has played alongside Tottenham’s Archie Gray, and it appears that the teenager has made a big impression on the Ipswich man.

Delap made an appearance on Sky Sports’ Sticker Book show, and he was asked to pick the top player out of several four-man shortlists. One of those was Academy Ace, in which he discussed the best players he has played alongside at the club or international level.

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The list involved Gray as well as the likes of Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers.

Delap said about the Tottenham Hotspur man: “Archie, recently, obviously, just played with him a few times for England. He’s still so young, so much potential. I played against him a few times this season, and he’s so good.”

How well placed are Tottenham to land Delap?

There is no doubt that Spurs are going to face intense competition for Delap, given the potential he has demonstrated this season and his low release clause.

However, it was reported by GiveMeSport last week that Tottenham are confident of winning the race for Delap ahead of the likes of Chelsea, Man United, West Ham and Everton.

Based on what the striker has just said, perhaps Spurs can get Gray to put in a word to the Ipswich man about a potential switch to N17.

Manchester United have just been handed a major boost ahead of their Europa League showdown with Tottenham Hotspur next week, with one of the key men now having a chance of featuring in the showpiece game at Bilbao.

With just over a week to go until the final, the attention of both Spurs and United fans has now shifted firmly towards the clash at San Mames, even though both sides still have one more Premier League clash before their trip to Spain.

Tottenham will be without James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall, who have joined long-term absentee Radu Dragusin on the treatment table.

However, Spurs have been boosted by the return of their captain, Heung-min Son, who returned to the action as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace after being sidelined for nearly a month with a foot injury.

Now, Tottenham’s opponents could be in line to receive a major injury boost of their own.

Man United striker may be fit to face Tottenham in Europa League final

Joshua Zirkzee was initially ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury during the Red Devils’ Premier League defeat to Newcastle on Sunday, April 13.

At the time, Rubem Amorim confirmed that the Dutchman will play no further part in the season: “He is out for the season. He will not play again this season. Let’s prepare him for the next one. It is tough, he was improving in every aspect of the game. It is tough for any player, but he has to be ready to recover.”

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However, Manchester Evening News and other outlets now report that the 22-year-old himself has admitted that he has an outside chance of being fit for the final.

It is revealed that the Man United striker told Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies on his Twitch stream that there is a chance that he could be ready to face Spurs.

When asked about his recovery, the former Bologna man allegedly said it would be “difficult but not impossible” for him to feature in Bilbao.

How much of a boost is this to Man United?

Zirkzee’s numbers are distinctly poor this season, with the forward having scored just seven goals across all competitions in 48 appearances.

However, he does add another dimension to Man United’s attack with the work he does off the ball and his ability to hold up possession, which is going to be crucial for Rubem Amorim’s side, as one would expect Tottenham to have more of the ball.

Paul Robinson is confident that Tottenham will not be signing Mathys Tel permanently, and he expects two senior players to follow the on-loan Bayern Munich man out of the door this summer.

After a difficult start to life at Tottenham Hotspur, Tel has shown a significant improvement over recent weeks, but the forward is yet to deliver the kind of statement performance that many expected of him.

There has been a lot said and written about the 20-year-old’s future, which appears to be up in the air ahead of the summer.

Most outlets have claimed that Tottenham do not plan on activating the £45m option to buy Tel and instead want to renegotiate a discounted deal with Bayern.

Ange Postecoglou has said that he is very happy with the way Tel has adapted, but the Australian’s opinion might not hold much water as there is expected to be a new manager at Spurs this summer.

Paul Robinson makes a confident prediction on Mathys Tel’s future

Robinson is sure that Tottenham will not make an attempt to sign the Frenchman permanently, even for a discounted fee.

The former Spurs number one insisted that the wide-forward has simply not shown enough during his loan spell and backed Tel to join Cristian Romero and Richarlison out of the door this summer.

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The pundit told Football Insider: “Mathys Tel will be going back to Bayern. He’ll definitely be going back because he’s not pulled up any trees since being at Tottenham.

“There are a lot of links with Romero and Atletico Madrid. He’s not been able to stay fit, not played regularly, he’s been injured and suspended a lot, so Romero is one they may look at leaving.

“Richarlison is an obvious one, there are links with him moving away all the time. For Tottenham, regardless of whether it’s FFP, PSR, cash flow issues or whatever it is, nobody will know what the budget looks like until they know if they’re playing in the Champions League.”

What Tottenham have told Tel about their plans

Just a few days ago, it was revealed by TBR Football that Tottenham have already informed Tel that they want him to stay.

The publication claimed that while Spurs do not want to pay £45m for the 20-year-old, they are keen on signing him permanently as they believe he has the potential to evolve into a top player.

Interestingly, the update revealed that the forward is also settled in London and his enjoying his time at Tottenham.