Aston Villa host Tottenham Hotspur in a huge clash in the race for Champions League football on Sunday afternoon.
Unai Emery’s side sit five points ahead of Spurs but have played one game more than Ange Postecoglou’s men.
On the injury front, Villa are sweating on the fitness of Jacob Ramsey, who was forced off against Luton Town during the Villans’ previous fixture.
As for Spurs, Postecoglou has welcomed Pedro Porro back into full training. However, the Aussie is still without four first-team players.
Talking ahead of the fixture, the Tottenham boss has praised one of Villa’s key men.
Aston Villa: Ange Postecoglou praises ‘outstanding’ Ollie Watkins
Speaking to Football London, the Aussie was complimentary of Ollie Watkins ahead of the trip to Villa Park.
“For all teams, you respect their strengths and weaknesses. I think when you look at Villa it’s more about the collective, but Ollie Watkins has been outstanding and not just this year,” he said.
“You look at his career and his durability to play game after game and still maintain a high level of performance and an improvement in performance, credit to him and the coaches he has worked with.
“The way he leads that line is outstanding, but for us, it can’t be just the focus. To challenge and overcome a team like Villa, you really have to look at the collective because they are very well-organised defensively. They have some real key players when they do get the ball.”
Postecoglou also shared some kind words for midfielder John McGinn.
“John McGinn is outstanding, and all these players, so you know if you just focus solely on stopping Ollie on any given day, there are so many others who can hurt you,” he added.
“For us, it is still about us and our performance and if we play well. I can’t remember a game where we haven’t been competitive and we’ll have to be competitive again at the weekend. And hopefully, we show the quality we need.”
This does feel like a must-not-lose game for Villa. A draw would maintain a solid gap to Postecoglou’s. However, a defeat will see Spurs back in the driving seat.
Nevertheless, it’s extremely unlikely that both teams will look for a point. Villa have been a winning machine at home, and Tottenham like to attack.
At the moment, the fixture is shaping up to be a tantalising affair.
