Tottenham Hotspur host Aston Villa on Monday night at White Hart Lane, with a resurgent Harry Kane looking to add to his goal tally.
The Spurs hitman quadrupled his 2015-16 goal count in the Premier League against Bournemouth last Sunday, with a hat-trick in a 5-1 demolition at Dean Court. Last season, the 22-year-old scored 34 times for club and country and is now hoping that his goal drought is over and the team can focus on firing themselves into the Champions League places with a win over the lowly Villa.
While Tottenham are mostly enjoying their football at the moment, Aston Villa are currently dealing with their manager situation. Tim Sherwood was sacked this week after failing to overcome Swansea in a 2-1 defeat, leaving the side to languish at the bottom of the table. The woes continue, with former manager Paul Lambert commenting that expectations are too high at the Birmingham-based club.
Aston Villa are currently under the control of caretaker manager Kevin Macdonald, with rumours swirling around of David Moyes returning to the Premier League and more likely, of former Lyon manager Remi Garde joining the club. Sherwood may have taken Villa to the FA Cup Final last year, but after six-straight defeats in the league, it was time for him to leave. The Villans will be looking to put all of the drama behind them this time out, including another 2-1 defeat to Southampton in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday night.
Key Battle – Harry Kane vs Jose Angel Crespo
After Kane scored three against Bournemouth, the striker looks to be back on top form. Not only Crespo, but Ciaran Clark as well will have to deal with the pace of the Englishman. A couple of the goals on Sunday at Dean Court were poached from close-range, so they will have to look out for him and mark closely in the box from corners.
[interaction id=”5632ff6041d4754d14c5605c”]
Team News and expected Line ups.
The two sides will be relatively unaltered going into the match, with Aston Villa unlikely to make any changes, needing a strong selection to take on an unbeaten Tottenham.
Pochettino is still without Heung-Min Son and Nacer Chadli, but the ranks will be boosted by the news of a return from Ryan Mason. The England international made a brief appearance against Bournemouth, however, he is unlikely to fully return just yet. Kane has insisted he is almost 100% fit after a small problem with his knee, felt after the 0-0 draw with Liverpool.
Head to Head
The teams are one a piece in their last two meetings, with Aston Villa winning 1-2 in April and Tottenham claiming a 2-1 result back in November 2014, coincidentally on exactly the same day they will face each other again this year.
Aston Villa have lost six out of the seven times the pair have met each other in all competitions since 2012.
Previous Meeting
Last time out Aston Villa managed to pull the cap over Tottenham’s eyes with a surprise 1-0 win, the first victory against the Lilywhites since 2008 in all competitions. Christian Benteke scored a header in the 35th minute and the team also had to play the game with 10 men after Carlos Sanchez was sent-off. With Benteke now at Liverpool, and Kane back on top of his game, Spurs look to be the side to take the win after their demolition of South coast side Bournemouth last weekend.
Prediction
Even without a couple of key players, Mauricio Pochettino’s men are looking very strong at the moment with their unbeaten run in the league. Aston Villa are still without a long-term manager and judging by their last six defeats in the league, Spurs should be able to glide past easily, however, the previous two times the sides have met each other the games have been close. This time Villa seem to be under a bit more pressure to win considering their position, but Tottenham will have that slight edge coming off the back of a 5-1 result the previous weekend.
Tottenham 3 Aston Villa 1
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
