- Oct 17, 2006
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ASTON VILLA 0-2 SPURS
Vinicius, Kane
Vinicius, Kane
Spurs: Lloris (C), Tanganga, Rodon, Sanchez, Reguilon (Davies), Hojbjerg, Ndombele (Sissoko), Lo Celso (Bergwijn), Lucas, Vinicius, Kane.
Subs: Hart, Dier, Dele, Bale, Scarlett, Devine.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings (c), Luiz, McGinn, Watkins, Traore, Trezeguet, Targett, Sanson.
Subs: Heaton, Taylor, Nakamba, Barkley, El Ghazi, Engels, El Mohamady, Davis, Ramsey.
Official Site Match Centre
Four changes to the team that started our last Premier League fixture at Arsenal last weekend.
Japhet Tanganga, Joe Rodon, Giovani Lo Celso and Carlos Vinicius come in for Matt Doherty, Toby Alderweireld, Gareth Bale and Heung-Min Son. It's Carlos' second start in the Premier League. Erik Lamela is suspended. Academy youngsters Dane Scarlett and Alfie Devine are on the bench.
Jose reports that both Toby and Serge Aurier miss out through illness.
REFEREE: ------ Mike Dean ???????
TEAM FORM: ----- Villa - LWLDD ------- Spurs - WWWLL ------ (All Competitions)
The pressure is mounting on Jose ahead of Sunday's Premier League trip to Aston Villa following our shock elimination from the Europa League. We suffered one of our worst results in our history by going down 3-2 on aggregate to Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday and need to quickly respond at Villa Park. We are eighth at the time of writing this, four points better off than ninth-placed Villa having played a game more than Villa.
Our 3-0 loss in Zagreb on Thursday, having led 2-0 after the opening 90 minutes of the tie, will mark one of the lowest points in our club's recent history. It was a performance that captain Hugo labelled "a disgrace", and one in which left Mourinho questioning the professionalism of our players yet again. We would have fancied our chances of going all the way in the Europa League, but instead our campaign now comes down to next month's EFL Cup final with Manchester City.
A top-four finish in the Premier League is not entirely out of the question just yet, though we find ourselves six points adrift of the Champions League spots. If nothing else, Mourinho will be desperate for a response from our players on Sunday, a week on from going down 2-1 to Arsenal in another massive setback for the Portuguese. That loss to Arsenal was our ninth in 28 Premier League games this term - equaling the most ever suffered by a Mourinho-managed side in a single campaign.
That includes a run of four defeats in our last five away league games, which is as many as we had lost in our previous 20 on the road (W8 D8). Villa will be looking to pile the pressure on us this weekend, knowing that a victory will keep alive their hopes of qualifying for European football next season. The Villans have struggled for momentum in recent weeks, having won just one of their last six in the Premier League. Villa followed up a goalless draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers with a 1-1 draw at Newcastle United. Villa now face three of the established top six in their next four games and risk seeing a season that promised so much fading into nothing more than a mid-table finish.
Team News
What made our collapse in Zagreb all the more remarkable is that our star man Kane started the game and indeed played the full 120 minutes. That would have taken it out of the striker and, with three England internationals on the horizon, Mourinho may well make a bold call to rest our star man at Villa Park. Fellow attacker Son will play no part because of an injury sustained against Arsenal last weekend, while Lamela is suspended for his red card in the same game. Hojbjerg and Ndombele were greatly missed against Dinamo and should both return in holding midfield on Sunday.
As for Villa, there is still a question mark over the fitness of playmaker Grealish, who has now missed five matches but recently returned to training. Traore is another fitness doubt for the Villans, though Smith will give both players every chance of being fit for the visit of Spurs. Fresh on the back of his England call-up, striker Ollie Watkins is certain to lead the line as he looks to build on a return of 10 goals in 27 league games this term.
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