Premier League: Can Villa’s Form Match Frank’s Spurs?

Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa

Third hosts 13^th in the Sunday lunchtime fixture in North London, as Thomas Frank’s  Tottenham Hotspur welcomes Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

While 10 places separate the two sides, the points gap is only five. And after a sluggish start to the campaign, the Villans arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a run of four consecutive victories.    

Tottenham’s fierce rivals Arsenal, went top of the Premier League just before the international break. After a highly encouraging start under the new manager, Spurs fans are hoping their team can finally climb out of the shadow of the Gunners. If they are to do so, this is a game they must impress in and preferably win, against another team likely to finish at the business end of the table.    

Spurs come into the match on the back of a hard-fought 2-1 win away to Leeds United, while Villa edged out Burnley by the same scoreline at home.

 

Talking Points

Kudus is showing his worth at Tottenham

Spurs’ £55 million summer signing Mohammed Kudus has justified his fee by his performances so far. He has adapted well to the switch from East to North London, and Frank seems to be able to get the best out of Kudus.

He scored and assisted in Spurs’ win over Leeds United, and the third-most expensive player in the club’s history was on the mark again as he fired Ghana to the World Cup finals with a 1-0 win over Comoros last week. So far, Kudus has made four assists, and that is the highest tally in the Premier League, jointly with Everton’s Jack Grealish, another flair player who is thriving after a change of scenery.  

Kudus has joined a talented squad of players who play an attractive brand of football, but with a flexible and a more pragmatic approach to suit the circumstances. They toughed it out in a scrappy game against Leeds.

Meanwhile, former Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou is already under pressure at Nottingham Forest. And while he did deliver a trophy to Spurs with his gung-ho style, the players have started well under Frank, shaking off their 17th-place finish to challenge at the top over the first seven games. The Premier League 2025 betting odds reckon the Whites will finish fifth, and that would be a good showing in Frank’s first season. 

 

Guessand’s time to shine for Villa

Ivory Coast striker Evann Guessand signed for Aston Villa from Nice in the summer for a princely sum of £30 million, but the 24-year-old has failed to nail down a place so far. He has shown great energy, strong running, and a willingness to get stuck in when he has made an appearance, so Guessand received a warm welcome from the fans at Villa Park when he was introduced last time out.

First-choice centre-forward Ollie Watkins picked up an injury while playing for England during the international break, and if he isn’t fit to play, then Emery is likely to give a start to Guessand. The 6’2” forward has mainly been used out on the wing in his cameo appearances and has yet to make an assist or score a goal. But he had a good international break, starring and scoring for the Ivory Coast, and this could be his moment to shine for Villa.

If Guessand does take the centre-forward role, he will get plenty of support from Donyell Malen, who put on his best performance so far in a Villa shirt, scoring both goals against Burnley with two brilliant finishes.      

 

History

Spurs have won almost half of their 57 matches against Villa over the past three decades, racking up 28 victories to the Villans’ 17, and there have been 12 draws. 

Meanwhile, in terms of recent form, with three wins and three draws from the last six games, Spurs are in good shape. But then so are Villa, who have won four and drawn two of their last six outings. 

 

Betting Tip

Spurs are the favourites to win this tasty encounter, with the draw at SBOTOP odds of 3.19, and a Villa win is 3.13. After a slow start, the Villans’ Premier League 2025 results have certainly picked up, but they weren’t entirely convincing against struggling Burnley, and a buoyant Tottenham will carry a more potent threat. 

I’m backing a Spurs win, and with Kudus on form alongside the lethal Richarlison, I’m hoping for plenty of goalmouth action. For an alternative bet, Over 2.50 is priced at 1.82.    

   

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