As match week ten of the Premier League commences this weekend, Tottenham Hotspur will host Aston Villa in an intriguing clash in the first game of Super Sunday at 2PM.
Spurs come into this match desperate to put three more points on the board following their bitterly disappointing display against Crystal Palace last weekend. However, they did manage to overcome Manchester City in their midweek Carabao Cup tie, which could help boost their confidence heading into this one.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa will be looking to get back to winning ways to avoid three consecutive games without a win after they were held to a 1-1 stalemate against Bournemouth in their last league match and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace 2-1 midweek.
Result Odds: Tottenham are Strong Favorites
Home Win - 8/11 | Away Win - 27/10 | Draw - 3/1
Despite Villa's five-point advantage heading into this matchup, surprisingly, it is the home side who lead the bookies odds this weekend, as they are favored as considerable favorites to claim victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It has been a strange beginning to the season for Ange Postecoglou's side, as their performances at times have often not lined up with results, having lost four games already this season despite dominating the majority of play in some of them. Although they have held a lot of possession, at times this season they have suffered from being blunt in the final third against low-block style teams and susceptible to counter-attacks due to their high line and attacking style.
They certainly are an enthralling side to watch and are perhaps the most entertaining team in the league, but results will need to be slightly more consistent if they are to reach the ambitions of the club.
Conversely, Unai Emery has surpassed all expectations of fans across the country since taking over in October 2022, taking Villa from a team underachieving and flirting dangerously with relegation to a Champions League club beating Bayern Munich and level on points with Arsenal heading into this weekend. Currently fourth, Aston Villa have been phenomenal this season, losing only once in the league against Arsenal at home, a game that on another day could have gone in their favour if Ollie Watkins did not miss two sitters.
Scoreline Odds: Lowest Odds on a 1-1 stalemate
Draw 1-1 - 15/2 | Tottenham Win 2-1 - 8/1 | Aston Villa Win 2-1 - 14/1
Scoring the third joint-most goals (18) in the Premier League this season behind only Chelsea and Manchester City, Spurs have had no issues putting the ball in the back of the net in general, but have struggled against low-block sides at times. Meanwhile, Aston Villa have also been prolific in front of goal so far, scoring 16—only two behind the hosts.
Defensively though, both sides do not hold great records coming into this game, as only one goal conceded separates them, with Tottenham conceding 10 and the away side chipping 11.
To win this game, Postecoglou's side will need to control the game and dominate the play, getting their creative outlets in James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski on the ball in dangerous areas as often as possible. For Emery's team, they will need to be defensively solid throughout the game, shutting off the spaces that Spurs players like to drift into, and transition quickly on Tottenham's high line with the pace and incisiveness of Leon Bailey, Morgan Rogers, and Ollie Watkins.
Goalscorer Odds: Both teams possess good options
Solanke - 6/4 | Richarlison - 8/5 | Watkins - 9/5 | Duran - 9/5
Dominic Solanke is favoured to be the most likely scorer in this game at 6/4 to score anytime, despite only scoring twice in the league since his big move in the summer, but his height and physical presence could offer Tottenham a more direct option if required.
Son Heung-Min also possesses great value to hit the back of the net in this match, as Tottenham's top scorer is a slight injury doubt heading into this affair but is valued at 6/1 to score first and 19/10 at anytime.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa's striker duo both hold identical odds heading into this weekend, as Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran are both favoured to be the side's most likely source of goals, at 6/1 to score first and 9/5 anytime. The pair hold nine goals between them in the Premier League so far, with Duran scoring four of those, each of which came from substitute appearances.
Prediction: Tottenham to recover from last weekend's blip in 2-1 victory
Postecoglou's men to edge a tight contest
This game is very likely to be a closely contested affair, due to the quality that both teams possess and the playstyles of the two sides. Tottenham will look to start the game on the front foot in front of their home supporters, and as always under Postecoglou, will be aiming to control possession high up the pitch, trying to score goals.
However, Emery is likely to set Aston Villa up to be very difficult to break down, cutting off the spaces that Spurs' attacking players like to drift into and using their own attacking quality to break on the home side quickly. Due to both sides' defensive records, it is plausible that both teams will score in this one, but Tottenham may just edge this one.
Both teams to score (4/9)
Match to end in 1-1 win draw (15/2)
Dominic Solanke to score first (5/1)
Ollie Watkins to score any time (9/5)