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Aston Villa will be desperate to return to winning ways on Sunday as they welcome Tottenham to Villa Park.

Unai Emery’s side were far from their best on Thursday, slipping to a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final.

That away loss made it two straight defeats for the Villans and, more worryingly, means they have won just three away games in all competitions since the end of January.

Needing six points from their final 12, they now host relegation-threatened Tottenham, who are fresh from their first win of 2026 against Wolves.

With one eye potentially on the second leg against Forest, Emery may see this as the right time to ring the changes and give his side a lift.

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Unai Emery to give Tammy Abraham chance vs Tottenham

Having lifted the Europa League four times with Sevilla and Villarreal, Emery’s continental record is exceptional.

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For those on the pitch, however, it was another occasion when they fell short on the big stage.

Striker Ollie Watkins was also poor at the City Ground, despite beginning to find some form after a difficult season.

He won just one of five ground duels and failed to claim a single aerial duel, with Nikola Milenkovic and Morato dominating him for long spells.

Having started every game since the 2-0 win over Lille in March, this may be the moment to give Watkins, 28, a rest, with January signing Tammy Abraham pushing for an opportunity.

The towering forward has made only one start since returning to the club, but has still made an impact with two goals – a late equaliser against Leeds and a stoppage-time winner over Sunderland.

With only 219 minutes under his belt, he looks ready for a start, and Villa could have used his height as they pumped crosses into the box late on Thursday.

Ian Maatsen could also replace Lucas Digne, whose costly handball for Forest’s opener left the officials with no option but to award a penalty.

Jadon Sancho could complete the trio of changes, with Emery set to bring him in after his recent appearances off the bench following injury.

There is a question mark over Amadou Onana after he left the field before the hour mark on Thursday with a calf issue, but he will start if ready.

Aston Villa must capitalise on Tottenham wounds

It has been a dismal season for Tottenham.

Just a year after winning the Europa League, the Lilywhites have gone through two managers and now sit in the Premier League relegation zone with four games remaining.

Spurs have also lost six of their last 10 league matches against Villa, while Emery’s side have won 2-1 in both meetings across league and cup this season.

Despite beating Wolves for their first win of the campaign last time out, the mood remains bleak at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Star man Xavi Simons faces a lengthy spell out after being stretchered off, while Dominic Solanke will miss the rest of the season.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side are in desperate need of a win, and Villa must use that pressure to their advantage as they look to move within touching distance of a Champions League place and build momentum before the European second leg.

Aston Villa are in the midst of a four-game winning run against their next Premier League opponents, Tottenham Hotspur.

Unai Emery‘s side won’t be focusing on Tottenham just yet, as they prepare to navigate the first leg of their Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

That sees the Villans travel to the City Ground on Thursday night, as they look to go one step closer to winning that competition this year.

However, as soon as the final whistle blows there, the Lilywhites must prepare for a quick turnaround, as they’ll be back in action just three days later.

Tottenham are next up for Aston Villa in the league, in a match that is scheduled to kick-off at 7pm this Sunday evening.

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What is Aston Villa’s recent record vs Tottenham?

Tottenham and Aston Villa are well versed with one another this season, as Sunday’s game will be the third time they’ve met in 2025-26.

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Indeed, the first meeting was back in October last year in the Premier League, before Villa beat Tottenham 2-1 in the FA Cup third round on 10 January respectively.

Emery’s side will enter the game at Villa Park having seen their three-match unbeaten run in the Premier League snapped, having fallen to a 1-0 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage last Saturday.

Tottenham, meanwhile, are starting to show signs that they’re turning a corner under Roberto De Zerbi, with their agonising 2-2 draw against Brighton preceding their first win of 2026 away at Wolves last weekend.

As such, and rather incredibly, the form could well favour Spurs ahead of Sunday’s match, but what do the history books have to say about the Lilywhites’ chances at Villa Park?

Well, they certainly read in favour of a home win this weekend, as Aston Villa have won four-straight games against Tottenham, which includes two FA Cup victories and a further two in the Premier League respectively.

In that time, Villa have won those four games by an aggregate score of 8-3, and have indeed won both of their last two against the North London outfit 2-1.

Spurs’ last victory over Villa came in the Premier League on 3 November 2024, where they won by four goals to one at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium despite Morgan Rogers actually giving the Villans the lead in that one.

Tottenham used to have Aston Villa’s number at Villa Park

So, Aston Villa will obviously enter the game against Tottenham as favourites, but there was a significant period of time not so long ago that Spurs totally dominated the Villans in their own backyard.

Between 26 December 2012 to 9 April 2022, Tottenham won every single one of the eight games they played at Villa Park in all competitions.

All but one of those, a League Cup win in 2013, were in the Premier League too, and it doesn’t end there, as Spurs remained unbeaten in B6 for an additional four games prior to that winning run as well, dating back to March 2009.

Aston Villa’s 2-1 win in May 2023 was the first time they’d beaten the Lilywhites at home since New Year’s Day 2008.

So, the Emery era has very much welcomed a period of far greater prosperity on home soil against Tottenham than what they’d seen previously, and so they’ll no doubt be completely confident they will take three points again on Sunday.

Aston Villa fans could face problems when they travel to face Tottenham on Saturday.

Villa are coming off the back of a draw against Crystal Palace, where there was a general lack of goal threat from the travelling outfit.

Unai Emery will be hoping for better moving forward, with the Spaniard echoing the frustration from Stan Collymore away to Palace.

The Villans won’t have to wait long to try and get back to winning ways with a repeat of Villa’s October 2-1 win against Tottenham potentially in the pipeline.

The claret and blue outfit will be backed by 9000 travelling fans, but they appear unlikely to support them as issues look destined to arise at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

WM Police share Aston Villa fan notifcation for Tottenham trip

Morgan Rogers was superb against Tottenham last time around, with the travelling Villans hopeful of a similar level of performance in the FA Cup.

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The third-round clash presents an opportunity for fringe players to prove themselves and potentially push for a regular starting spot.

They won’t get much better away backing to do exactly that with a sold-out allocation travelling to North London to get behind Villa.

Due to the size of the allocation, those fans travelling by coach have been told to travel directly to N17 rather than stopping elsewhere on their journey.

This will see thousands of Villa fans land in the capital hours before kick-off, but West Midlands Police has warned supporters that pubs in the surrounding area won’t be accepting away fans.

The statement reads: “For Aston Villa fans travelling to Tottenham on Saturday for the Emirates FA Cup, there are no away pubs around the ground. Fans will have to drink further out and travel in for the game.“

With so many people set to be around the ground for so long before the 5:45pm kick-off, issues could become apparent on Saturday afternoon.

Aston Villa and Tottenham to ignore away fan concerns

There is a realistic chance that, with Villa supporters in North London early and no designated away pub, problems could be on the cards.

The police have made their stance clear, but former PGMOL chief and FIFA official Keith Hackett believes both Aston Villa and Tottenham will steer clear of any complications.

Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Hackett said: “The Aston Villa fans and the police will be aware of this situation and will have plans in place. The clubs themselves won’t want to get involved.“

If both sides are to set that precedent, it will leave thousands of those in claret and blue on the search for a pub that accepts away fans.

The Elmhurst is a 15-minute walk away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and appears to be letting Villans in, but outside of that, it could be a long afternoon for those travelling down south.

Emi Buendia starts in four Unai Emery changes – Aston Villa predicted XI vs Go Ahead Eagles

Unai Emery will be searching for his third UEFA Europa League win of the season when Aston Villa take on Go Ahead Eagles on Thursday.

Emery would’ve been pleased with his team’s performance as Villa beat Tottenham 2-1 to secure all three points in the Premier League on Sunday.

He is now five games unbeaten in the Premier League after Villa’s 1-1 draw to Everton back in September.

While Villa are the favourites heading into their Europa League clash on 23 October, the Villans’ coach will not be prepared to take his eye off the ball for even a second.

Emi Buendia starts as Ollie Watkins returns

Emi Buendia’s impressive cameo against Tottenham could earn him a start for Villa against Go Ahead Eagles at the De Adelaarshorst.

Meanwhile, Ollie Watkins started from the bench against Spurs after picking up a knock while on international duty with The Three Lions.

But after playing for 29 minutes in their most recent win, Emery could be tempted to start Watkins to help him return to full fitness.

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The Villa manager could opt to retain his midfield from their win over the Lilywhites but make a couple of defensive changes.

Ian Maatsen could start over Lucas Digne, who did not have his best performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Despite registering an assist, Digne won zero of his tackles and only made two interceptions.

Furthermore, only 36 per cent of his passes in the opposition half were accurate, and all five of his attempted crosses were inaccurate.

Meanwhile, Victor Lindelof could see his first start for the Villans since signing for the Premier League side over the summer.

Aston Villa will need to be vigilant against Go Ahead Eagles

It would be tempting for Villa to write their opponents off, considering they’re the heavy favourites heading into the tie. However, the hardest games in football are usually the ones most unexpected.

It is likely that Go Ahead Eagles will defend with a low block on Thursday, given the attacking talent in this Villa team.

This means that the Villans will spend most of the first half attempting to break down a tight-lipped defence, which is never fun for attacking sides. Indeed, the confrontation could require a degree of patience which is hard to come by on big European nights.

Therefore, Villa should not take a victory for granted when coming up against Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.

Aston Villa extended their winning streak to five against Tottenham on Sunday.

Unai Emery’s Villa beat Spurs 2-1 after coming from behind to seal a dramatic three points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 19 October.

The win comes not long after Emery was under pressure at Aston Villa, as the head coach has seemingly turned things around with another fantastic team performance.

Morgan Rogers scored an exceptional goal to level the game before Emi Buendia‘s second-half strike helped the Villans take all three points back to B6.

Ex-Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given weighed in on one moment in particular that stood out during the Villans’ game against Tottenham.

Shay Given was blown away by Aston Villa’s winning goal vs Spurs

Aston Villa started poorly against Tottenham, but Rogers’ first-half strike had Emery’s side in the game at half-time.

In the second half, Villa looked the more threatening side, and despite creating goal-scoring chances, their winner came from a moment of combined magic from Matty Cash, Lucas Digne, and Buendia.

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According to Sofascore:

Speaking on Match of the Day, Given shared his opinion on Villa’s winning goal, making a huge claim.

“This is the best goal I’ve probably seen all season.

“Watch this for a strike off Cash, it’s unbelievable, and Digne’s two touches are incredible, and after that Buendia does a bit of magic himself.

“I was off the sofa, I was excited, I was going ‘please be a goal, please be a goal’, it’s like a PlayStation goal, it’s just world class from Aston Villa.”

However, despite Buendia and Digne’s brilliance, it was Cash’s ball which started it all, as the full-back deserves more credit for his performances this season.

Matty Cash has stepped up for Aston Villa

In recent times, Cash has been criticised for his performances in the Premier League, with many previously saying he is not up to the Premier League’s standard.

Cash played fantastically once again for the Villans against Tottenham and has been a big part of Aston Villa’s recent turn of form.

The full-back provides plenty of energy on the right side of Emery’s team, and hasn’t had enough praise for how well he has started this season.

Morgan Rogers netted a stunning equaliser for Aston Villa against Tottenham.

Rogers netted for England against Wales during the international break, but hadn’t scored in claret and blue since early April.

The attacking midfielder ended his barren spell in style as Villa secured a 2-1 win against Tottenham on Sunday.

Unai Emery looked set for Villa problems at half-time until the 23-year-old looped a devastating effort over Guglielmo Vicario on 37 minutes.

Rogers was excellent and looks to have done exactly what Roy Keane has seen him do previously for club and country.

Roy Keane has kept close eye on Morgan Rogers

Simon Hooper was central to the Aston Villa controversy against Spurs and could have harmed the result in North London.

In the end, his decision not to award a drop ball wasn’t costly as Rogers and Emi Buendia made sure of the three points for the Villans.

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The Argentine has arguably been Villa’s standout and most surprising performer of the season after his loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen last season.

There has been shock at the other end of the spectrum surrounding Rogers and his lack of positive performances and goal threat.

Ahead of the clash against Spurs, Jamie Redknapp spoke out on Sky Sports Main Event to back the Englishman and demand patience for his form after what Keane has seen him do.

He said: “He’s taken a little bit of stick from his own fans this season, but he’s class. Roy [Keane] watched him for England, and he was exceptional in those games.

“He’s a super talent, he needs a little bit of form again, and that will come. There’s no doubt that he’s a class player, he just needs a bit of time and some patience.“

Rogers deserves Aston Villa patience and he proved it against Tottenham

Last season, the man signed from Middlesbrough contributed 14 goals and 13 assists across all competitions.

This propelled him from relative unknown at Premier League level to the PFA Young Player of the Year and England regular.

Things haven’t been so rosy for the 23-year-old in recent weeks, but against Tottenham, he looked to be somewhere near his best.

Rogers got on the scoresheet with his only shot of the day, maintaining a 100 per cent conversion rate in North London.

On top of this, he completed 15 passes and two dribbles as he helped drive the Villans up the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Englishman also chipped in with three recoveries and won three duels, cementing what was a much better performance in claret and blue.

Simon Hooper has come under heavy scrutiny after Aston Villa beat Tottenham on Sunday.

Villa secured a 2-1 win over Tottenham thanks to wonderful goals from both Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Unai Emery had a worry on his hands as Villa looked to have real problems against Tottenham until the England international levelled the scores.

The Villans may have been frustrated after ex-Villa transfer target Rodrigo Bentancur opened the scoring, but that isn’t the case.

In a hugely positive three points, the claret and blue faithful and Keith Hackett have been left frustrated by one shocking action from match official Hooper.

Keith Hackett baffled by Simon Hooper decision in Tottenham vs Aston Villa

Pedro Porro took a free-kick late in the first half and opted to funnel the ball out wide towards Mohammed Kudus.

The Spaniard’s pass struck Hooper, and a Tottenham drop ball should have been given, but that wasn’t the case.

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Instead, the referee allowed the Lilywhites to continue, affording Mathys Tel to almost get on the scoresheet at the back post.

The Frenchman miss timed his movement towards the ball, but on another day, things could have been very different for both Spurs and Villa.

Former FIFA official Hackett has confirmed that Hooper’s decision was wrong, a choice made worse by the fact that it actually negatively impacted the away side.

Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Hackett said: “The ball clearly hit the referee and deflected off him to a Spurs player.

“The easy decision that Simon Hooper, the referee, should have made was to immediately stop the game and restart with a dropped ball.

“He wrongly determined that it had not impacted on the game and allowed play to continue.

“Frankly, the deflected ball changed course and impacted on the Villa defenders.

“The Referee was wrong to allow play to continue.“

Aston Villa not helped by Hooper vs Tottenham

Villa may have secured a fifth consecutive victory in North London, but they didn’t get any sort of help from Hooper.

Hackett is clear on the rules and is surprised that the match official would get such a routine decision wrong.

There is no reason why he shouldn’t have awarded a drop ball in a situation that could have proven to be pivotal to the final result.

If Tel had gotten his feet sorted and potentially attempted a header, there is every chance that Spurs could have snatched the three points from the Villans.

Aston Villa came back from behind to steal a 2-1 win away at Tottenham.

Villa travelled to face Tottenham on Sunday, but were 1-0 down with just five minutes on the clock at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Rodrigo Bentancur has been linked to Villa previously, but opened the scoring with a half-volley deflected in off Amadou Onana.

Villa were level before the half-time break as Morgan Rogers, just as he did against Wales, scored a great goal, a looping effort over Guglielmo Vicario.

This was only bettered by Emi Buendia just over 10 minutes from time after miraculous play from both Matty Cash and Lucas Digne before the Argentine curled in to make it 2-1.

On a day when the Villans secured a huge three points in the capital, Villa News has rated each player out of 10.

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Amadou Onana was a let down vs Tottenham

Sometimes, your record signing needs to help drag you through games, but that can’t be said about the Belgium international under Unai Emery.

The 24-year-old was eventually replaced by Ross Barkley, but arguably could have been taken off earlier in the day.

Onana won just 33 per cent of his duels, was dribbled past once and also committed one foul in North London.

Add to this his failure to complete a single dribble in two attempts, his efforts to progress the play in claret and blue didn’t pay off.

His defensive output was positive, but that won’t be enough to justify his inclusion from the start every week.

Emi Martinez puts in sensational Aston Villa shift

The Argentine may not be the most popular man in B6 after his summer transfer antics, but he is doing his best to change the feeling around him.

He will earn the backing of the wider Villa faithful with some top performances.

Martinez did exactly that against Everton away from home and did just as well, if not better, in North London.

The 33-year-old prevented 0.28 expected goals with his two saves and was able to relieve pressure on the Villans with one high claim and seven recoveries.

Spurs had plenty of chances in the second half and looked dangerous, but the work of Martinez was superb and looked more like the keeper that Villa fans know and adore.

Aston Villa player ratings vs Tottenham

Emi Martinez – 8

Matty Cash – 7

Ezri Konsa – 6

Pau Torres – 5

Lucas Digne – 6

Amadou Onana – 3

Boubacar Kamara – 5

John McGinn – 5

Morgan Rogers – 7

Evann Guessand – 5

Donyell Malen – 4

Substitutes

Ollie Watkins – 5

Emi Buendia – 7

Ross Barkley – N/A

Ian Maatsen – 4

Aston Villa have been left fuming in their clash against Tottenham.

Villa went in at half-time level with Tottenham after Morgan Rogers netted a stunning goal to bring the away side level in North London.

The England star continued his excellent form after Rogers also scored against Wales during the international break.

This cancelled out one-time Villa target Rodrigo Bentancur’s strike within the opening five minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It isn’t this that Villa fans have taken issue with, it is the actions of referee Simon Hooper that caused widespread fury in the away end.

Simon Hooper in Tottenham vs Aston Villa controversy

The clash against Thomas Frank’s side has certainly been different to the more smooth sailing 2-1 Villa win against Burnley last time around.

Rogers’ goal was a moment of inspiration, but it shouldn’t take away from how shoddy the performance had been until that point.

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The strike from the attacking midfielder was the shining moment, but was somewhat clouded over by a moment of huge controversy from Hooper.

Pedro Porro struck a free kick which clearly made contact with the match official before making its way beyond John McGinn to Mohammed Kudus.

The Ghana international so nearly found Mathys Tel from the subsequent cross, causing fury among the Villa players and fans alike.

Former Villa forward Garry Thompson was left baffled by the lack of a drop ball as he spoke out live via BBC Radio WM on 19 October.

He said: “The referee has just played on? They’ve all gone straight to the referee and had a word. He’s just pared them off, he’s not having it at all.

“Tel comes in at the far post and misses the ball completely, but if he gets the connection and scores, what does the referee do then?“

Hooper disregards IFAB laws with Tottenham vs Aston Villa decision

If the ball strikes the match official, it is common knowledge that a drop ball is awarded to the side that played the ball last.

Porro’s free kick undoubtedly struck Hooper, and as McGinn and Co. protested, it should have been awarded as such at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As per IFAB Law 9, their FAQs section details a situation where team A plays the ball, it strikes the referee, but team A are able to continue and form a promising attack.

The answer states, “The ball is out of play when it touches a match official and a team starts a promising attack. In this case, play is restarted with a dropped ball for one player of Team A at the position of the ball when play was stopped by the referee, because Team A had possession at that time.“

Fortunately for Villa, a goal didn’t come off the back of this, but it is clear as day that Hooper went against IFAB rules in allowing play to continue with Kudus.

Aston Villa will look to make it five wins on the bounce as they face Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday.

Unai Emery’s side sit 13th in the Premier League table, after a poor start to the campaign that saw them go winless in their opening five matches.

Aston Villa’s attacking woes look to be over, with wins over Burnley and Fulham before the international break coming at the perfect time ahead of a tricky run of fixtures.

For Ezri Konsa, Sunday’s clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium represents a huge milestone for the England international.

Ezri Konsa on the verge of impressive milestone vs Spurs

Konsa is one of Villa’s most prized assets, with the England international thriving for both club and country over the past few years.

Having moved to B6 from Brentford in 2019, the 27-year-old defender has made 203 top-flight appearances for Aston Villa, with 199 of them coming as starts.

Against Spurs, Konsa will become the ninth player to make 200 Premier League appearances for Aston Villa, and the first to do so among the current group of players.

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As Konsa readies himself for his 200th start in a Villa shirt, it’s imperative that he performs to the high standards he’s set for himself.

Konsa looks nailed on to make England’s World Cup squad in June, and the centre-back has become one of Villa’s leaders over the course of time.

Having to juggle the intense schedule that comes with European football, Konsa’s availability has been crucial to Villa’s success over the past few seasons.

Aston Villa travel to North London to take on third-placed Spurs on Sunday, and the following fixtures don’t get any easier for Emery.

Aston Villa will need to be brilliant defensively as tough fixtures lie ahead

Aston Villa face a huge period ahead, where the performances against the top teams will give fans a good indication of what level the team is at.

The wins against Fulham and Burnley were important, yet expected, whilst their only real scalp has come in the Europa League win away to Feyenoord.

Villa face four of the top five in their next four games, with Man City, Liverpool, and Bournemouth all to come after Sunday’s match.

This represents a crucial period in the season, and Villa will aim to climb back up the table, as they look to achieve European football for a fourth year in a row.