This Sunday evening at 19:00 BST, two teams with contrasting goals will meet as Aston Villa hosts Tottenham Hotspur in the West Midlands.
Following a 1-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals, Villa is striving to secure Champions League qualification through their Premier League standing, especially if they miss out on Europe’s secondary tournament.
Currently, they are in a favorable position, sitting fifth and eight points ahead of Brighton. However, concerns are rising that the Villans might have peaked too soon after clinching eight consecutive league victories in November and December.
Unai Emery’s squad has managed only two wins in their last seven league outings, suffering four losses—the same number of defeats they endured in their previous 24 top-flight matches.
Ollie on the rise
Leading scorer Ollie Watkins has recorded six goals in his last seven matches, marking a notable comeback after scoring just three in 16 during a challenging start to 2026.
His resurgence seemingly coincided with his omission from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for March’s friendlies, starting from March 20.
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He has also scored in three previous Premier League encounters against teams managed by Roberto de Zerbi, including a hat trick against Brighton in September 2023.
Roberto’s rallying call
Tottenham is looking to secure back-to-back league victories for the first time since their opening matches of the season.
After breaking their 16-game winless streak with a victory over relegation-bound Wolverhampton Wanderers last week, De Zerbi’s side must aim to replicate that performance on Sunday.
Currently seated at 18th, Spurs are just two points shy of West Ham United, with the threat of falling to Championship looming larger unless they turn things around.
De Zerbi, who was appointed in late March, confidently stated before Saturday’s victory at Molineux: “This team is capable of winning five games in a row.” Such a claim stands in stark contrast to the Lilywhites’ record of only eight wins out of 34 matches thus far.
With one victory down, Spurs must aim for four more if they wish to fulfill the Italian coach’s ambition, a rarity for any team currently within the relegation zone in the closing five matchdays of the Premier League.
Historically, however, there have been 18 instances of teams in relegation zones winning three of their last five, with five cases of winning four, which could offer some encouragement for the struggling side in North London.
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While a draw would serve Villa better than Spurs, the recent head-to-head history suggests that a stalemate is unlikely. In the last 21 league encounters, Villa has claimed seven victories, while Spurs have celebrated 14 wins without a single draw.