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Aston Villa vs Tottenham LIVE: FA Cup team news and line-ups with Marcus Rashford set for debut
Villa and Spurs clash in an all Premier League cup tie at Villa Park, with Unai Emery able to utilise Marcus Rashford after landing the Manchester United forward during the January transfer window
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Aston Villa face Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup when the two teams clash with each other at Villa Park.
Tottenham come into the game on the back of a resounding 4-0 loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final. Ange Postecoglou’s men were played off the park at Anfield and didn’t register a shot on target during their failed attempt to reach Wembley.
The pressure continues to mount on Postecoglou, with Spurs also languishing in 14th in the Premier League, but progressing into the next round would bring some breathing room.
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, meanwhile, lost 2-0 to rivals Wolves last weekend, but their season is progressing well. They sit eighth in the league and have secured an automatic place in the last 16 of the Champions League. Victory over Spurs would continue their strong form and they may call on new recruit Marcus Rashford after his January move from Manchester United.
Follow all the FA Cup action with our live blog below:
Tottenham are in limbo as Ange Postecoglou must ponder what comes next
Ange Postecoglou may be a prisoner of his deeds. Or he may be a prisoner of his words. “I don't usually win things, I always win things in my second year,” he memorably said in September. There are times when it seems that Postecoglou can specialise in backing himself into corners, while simultaneously picking hills to die upon.
He may need to downgrade ‘always’ back to ‘usually’: after a 4-0 Carabao Cup shellacking at Anfield, Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of domestic silverware could be ended within four days. It would leave only the Europa League and him probably with nothing to show for his season.
It may put him in good company. Tottenham’s finest managers of the last three decades, in Mauricio Pochettino, Martin Jol and Harry Redknapp, won nothing. Their only trophies in that time came from two unloved figures, in George Graham and Juande Ramos. Given chairman Daniel Levy’s apparent lack of interest in honours and focus on the bottom line, the more damning and damaging detail is the Premier League table, showing Tottenham in 14th, on course for their lowest finish in 21 years. They have not ended up below 14th for 31, since they were managed by Ossie Ardiles, another romantic from thousands of miles away who is fondly remembered for his attacking ethos but who was undermined by a combination of results and a seeming lack of interest in defending.
Tottenham are in limbo as Ange Postecoglou must ponder what comes next
Spurs crashed out the Carabao Cup with a limp second-leg defeat to Liverpool and Postecoglou needs to quickly turn their season around
Chris Wilson9 February 2025 15:15
Mathys Tel to make first Tottenham start against Aston Villa in FA Cup
Mathys Tel is poised to start for Tottenham Hotspur against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Tel made his debut for Spurs against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final midweek, coming on in the first half as Ange Postecoglou’s side went down 4-0.
After the former Bayern star replaced the injured Richarlison, who has suffered a calf injury, and with fellow forward Dominic Solanke also on the sidelines hurt, Tel is ready to take on a leading role at Villa Park.
Mathys Tel to make first Tottenham start against Aston Villa in FA Cup
Mathys Tel made his debut off the bench during Tottenham’s abject 4-0 loss at Liverpool
Chris Wilson9 February 2025 15:00
Prediction
With Spurs still facing an injury crisis and off the back off a bruising loss in the Carabao Cup, it is difficult to see anything other than a Villa win this evening.
Aston Villa 3-1 Tottenham.
Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:45
Predicted line-ups
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Garcia, Konsa, Kamara, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Ramsey; Rashford.
Tottenham XI: Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur, Sarr; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son.
Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:40
Team news
In his own press conference, Postecoglou said that no players will be returning to the squad ahead of the match, with Dominic Solanke, Cristian Romero, James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson all out for the long-term. In addition, it was recently confirmed that Radu Dragusin has suffered an ACL injury.
In addition, Richarlison will likely miss the matcha after coming off injured against Liverpool, though the layoff for the calf injury is not yet clear. Micky van de Ven will also likely be unavailable for selection.
Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:35
Team news
Speaking to the media in the lead-up to the game, Emery confirmed that Matty Cash, Pau Torres, Ross Barkley, Tyrone Mings and Ollie Watkins will all miss the game, with the latter having come off at half-time during the defeat to Wolves.
Axel Disasi is cup-tied, having already appeared for chelsea earlier in the season, though new signing Marcus Rashford could make his debut, as could fellow January addition Marco Asensio.
Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:27
Is Aston Villa vs Tottenham on TV?
When is Aston Villa vs Tottenham?
The FA Cup fixture will kick off at 5.45pm GMT on Sunday 9 February at Villa Park in Birmingham.
What TV channel is it on?
This fixture will be shown free-to-air on BBC One in the UK, with subscribers also able to watch online via BBC iPlayer. Coverage begins at 5.20pm.
Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:20
Aston Villa vs Tottenham LIVE
Aston Villa take on Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park in the fourth round of the FA Cup today, with the visitors hoping to bounce back from an embarrassing defeat last time out.
Spurs were soundly beaten by Liverpool in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final in midweek, and were widely criticised for the performance in the 4-0 loss.
The pressure continues to mount on Ange Postecoglou, with Spurs also languishing in 14th in the Premier League, and today they face a Villa side who themselves had had mixed results in recent weeks.
Unai Emery’s side lost 2-0 to local rivals Wolves last weekend, but their season is far from over both domestically and in Europe, having booked an automatic place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:10
Aston Villa vs Tottenham LIVE
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of today’s FA Cup fourth round match between Aston Villa and Tottenham.
Spurs come into the game off the back of a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, which drew plenty of criticism from fans and pundits.
And today they face a Villa side with some potentially exciting new additions from the January transfer window, with Marcus Rashford potentially making his debut for the Villans.
Chris Wilson9 February 2025 14:00