Tottenham and Aston Villa square off at Villa Park on Sunday with the result potentially crucial for both teams ambitions as the latter stages of the season approaches.

After the news of Manchester City’s expulsion from UEFA competitions for two years, Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham have been presented with an added opportunity to qualify for next year’s competition. The visitors host RB Leipzig in the last 16 on Wednesday and will hope a win against Dean Smith’s Villa can springboard their season.

A win would put the Lilywhites just one point off Chelsea in fourth place and one statistic in particular will give Spurs fans confidence of a positive result with their team unbeaten in 22 away fixtures against newly-promoted sides since a 1-0 defeat to QPR in 2016.

Villa start the weekend just outside the relegation places after their disappointing 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth last time out. With the three teams below them facing Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United, the Villians will view this fixture as a chance to put daylight between themselves and relegation against a Tottenham team who have been notoriously struggled on the road.

Jack Grealish will be the main threat for Villa as ever this season, the academy graduate and almost Spurs player after a failed transfer back in 2018, has created 63 chances this season more than double any of his teammates.

Team news

Aston Villa have Ezri Konsa available for selection again after injury but striker Keinan Davis is ruled out.

Tom Heaton, Jed Steer, John McGinn and Wesley continue their recoveries from season-ending injuries.

Harry Kane and Moussa Sissoko are long-term absentees for Tottenham whilst Argentine duo Juan Foyth and Erik Lamela are expected to miss the fixture.

Giovani Lo Celso is back for the Lilywhites whilst Ben Davies is also available after returning to training from the ankle injury he sustained in Mourinho’s first game against West Ham back in November.

Dean Smith insisted his team is still in a good position to avoid relegation:

“If somebody had said to me at the start of the season that with 13 games to go we would be out of the relegation zone, we would be in a cup final, we would have more wins than Arsenal, then I’d have chopped their hands off.

“It’s a tough league, one in which it is difficult to build consistency because of the quality of the other teams in there. But I feel we’ve just started to build that consistency.”

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho was positive about the availability of his squad ahead of the visit to Villa Park:

“So no more limitation with Bergwijn, now he can play. Ben Davies is back. He is ready to play. Giovani Lo Celso is ready to play. Lamela we have to assess tomorrow but if not for Sunday then for Wednesday. So Juan Foyth is out still a little bit. Obviously no Sissoko or Harry, so apart from them we are fine.

The situation is getting better for us and it happens at the right time because a lot of matches are coming.”

Head-to-head

Played – 164

Aston Villa wins – 56

Draws – 35

Tottenham wins – 73