Aston Villa will travel to Tottenham on Sunday ahead of a mouth-watering clash between two top-four hopefuls.
Aston Villa have made a brilliant start to this campaign, going unbeaten in their previous seven matches in the Premier League while cementing their place in fourth position.
Unai Emery’s men were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace in midweek but that has failed to take the gloss off their impressive start.
Tottenham, on the other hand, clinched a brilliant 2-1 EFL Cup win over Manchester City on Wednesday, advancing into the quarter-finals.
Ange Postecoglu’s side are, however, trailing Villa by five points in the league after losing 1-0 to Palace last time out.
Villa are looking to break a 100-year record by winning three successive games at Tottenham, with one injury update now emerging ahead of the clash.
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Micky Van de Ven ruled out of Tottenham vs Aston Villa
While Emery’s only real injury concern is Ross Barkley, who has been ruled out for the next couple of weeks, Tottenham have their own issues to contend with.
Postecoglu confirmed that star centre-back Micky van de Ven will miss the clash against Villa after suffering a hamstring strain, and may not return till after the international break.
Addressing the media ahead of Sunday’s clash, the Australian said via the Independent: “He is disappointed obviously and was looking forward to the game. Certainly not a bad one like the last one. He will work hard and the international break is an extra two weeks so hopefully, he does not miss much.”
The Dutchman is a crucial figure in the Spurs’ defence, as his frightening recovery pace and slide-tackling ability allow Postecoglu to play a high line.
Van de Ven has been lauded as ‘unstoppable’ for his stunning assist against Man United, with not many attackers in the league capable of outpacing him in behind.
So, not having him available for one of their biggest games of the season in terms of the top-four race is a huge blow to Villa’s opponents.
How Aston Villa can exploit Tottenham
Although van de Ven is sidelined and Radu Dragusin is likely to replace him, the defender’s absence won’t stop Postecoglu from deploying an aggressive high line.
The hosts will attempt to execute their press to perfection and pen Villa in their half however, Emery’s men have shown how good they are at evading pressure and playing out from the back.
If they can successfully play past the press and get Youri Tielemans on the ball, there will be acres of space for their attackers to work with.
Ollie Watkins will be licking his lips at the prospect, as the prolific striker splits defences with his piercing runs in behind, dragging defenders into positions they don’t want to go.
In the absence of van de Ven, Spurs will miss his pace to deal with the counter punch, so playing direct and launching balls in behind can see the likes of Watkins and Morgan Rogers profit.
Emery executed his game plan superbly on their last visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and following the above principles could see him secure another vital three points.
