Prediction: Tottenham vs Aston Villa

1st October 2010

Fresh from the superb Champions League victory over Twente, Tottenham are looking to improve on their league form as they play host to Aston Villa. Gerard Houllier started his new job with the away win over Wolves that saw the Villains climb to the fifth place in the standings, and with both sides going for a win, we should see an entertaining match at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham are struggling a bit with the busy schedule at the start of the season, although the fans were certainly pleased to see their side matching the big guns in the Champions League. Spurs squandered a two-goal lead against Werder only to hammer Twente 4:1 on Wednesday and they now have a very good chance to make it to the knockout stages. Nonetheless, Spurs are falling a bit behind the schedule in the Premiership and everybody at the club are hoping the victory over last year’s rivals for the 4th place will see them kick-start their league campaign. There are not too many teams in England that can withstand Tottenham’s opening pressure at White Hart Lane and if Spurs score from one of the first few chances they are bound to create, they should have no problems wining the game. With Ledley King unable to play two games in a week and all other defenders sidelined with injury, Vedran Corluka and Sebastien Bassong will form a centre-back pairing. In the absence of Jermain Defoe, Crouch and Pav should continue in attack.

For the second season running, Aston Villa are able to fully focus on domestic competitions after the shock elimination from Europe and that clearly gives them the extra edge over their rivals. Martin O’Neill’s departure has, however, left a big gap to fill and even though Gerard Houllier has started with a win, he faces a tough task this season. Following the victory in the Midlands derby, Villa sit in 5th place but their league position could be deceiving seeing the Villains are yet to face a top 6 team this season. They face a tough test at White Hart Lane against high-flying Tottenham, and if they are to be judged by their performances on the travels, he chances of getting something from this game look very slim. Gerard Houllier should have John Carew and Richard Dunne back to contention, but Gabriel Agbonlahor continues to miss out.

Conclusion

Tottenham are set to put their opponents under tremendous pressure in the opening 20 minutes and there is no way Villa defence will be able to cope with the attacking potential Harry Redknapp has at his disposal. Spurs seem to be in very good form at the moment and the victory in this match should see them close the gap behind the top 4.

Verdict: Home win Tottenham (1)

Best Odds: 1/1 (Evens)

Bookmaker: Ladbrokes