Hello and welcome to football.london’s live coverage of Tottenham’s crunch top-four clash against Aston Villa at Villa Park.
It really is a huge day for both clubs as they aim to secure a place in the Champions League for next campaign.
Aston Villa, as things stand, currently lead the way for fourth due to their five-point advantage over Spurs going into the business end of the season.
However, an awful lot can change over the next two months, especially if Tottenham manage to record all three points in the Midlands later today.
It promises to be a fascinating 90 minutes at Villa Park and we, as ever, will be keeping you updated with everything going on at the game.
You can follow all the build-up and action live in the Midlands with our Tottenham reporters Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest below.
14:27Rob Guest
Subs
Change for Villa as Bailey is replaced by Iroegbunam.
Tottenham then bring on Bentancur for Sarr.
14:24Rob Guest
Red card
McGinn is sent off for Aston Villa following a nasty challenge on Udogie right in front of the Spurs bench.
14:14Rob Guest
Triple Villa sub
Moreno, Zaniolo and Diaby on for Lenglet, Tielemans and Digne.
14:11Key Event
Johnson scores
It’s 2-0! Spurs break up the pitch after Kulusevski intercepts the ball and Son tees up Johnson who curls a shot into the goal on the slide. Who says he’s just a super sub?
14:09Key Event
Maddison scores
Spurs score straight after! Sarr races down the left after Kulusevski puts him and his cross is brilliant and Maddison pokes the ball into the net between the two defenders.
14:08Alasdair Gold
Injury
Van de Ven down holding his hamstring, again after making a challenge during a move that was later flagged offside. Radu Dragusin comes on. Such a shame for the Dutchman, who has been Spurs’ best player today.
14:05Rob Guest
Block
Some more excellent defending from Van de Ven there as he gets a block to Cash’s shot after the right-back had cut inside.
13:48Alasdair Gold
Here are Alasdair’s Spurs first half ratings
Guglielmo Vicario 6
Pedro Porro 8
Cristian Romero 5
Micky van de Ven 8
Destiny Udogie 7
Pape Matar Sarr 6
Yves Bissouma 5
James Maddison 5
Dejan Kulusevski 4
Son Heung-min 5
Brennan Johnson 6
13:47Rob Guest
Half-time
It’s 0-0 at the break in the Midlands.
A real lack of chances so far in the first 45 minutes with both goalkeepers extremely quiet.
13:46Rob Guest
Stoppage time
One minute added on at the end of the first half.
Decent opening for Villa just there as Lucas Digne cannot quite divert his header on goal.
13:30Rob Guest
Wide
Villa, who have been on top over the last 20 minutes, mount another attack and it results in Cash poking the ball wide from close range.
The ball did bounce kindly into the right-back’s path but he just couldn’t do enough to get his effort on goal.
13:16Rob Guest
Loose pass
A loose pass from Yves Bissouma gifts Aston Villa possession of the ball just outside the box but it doesn’t come to anything.
Pedro Porro managed to block Youri Tielemans’ shot and then Douglas Luiz’s lofted ball over the top to Matty Cash just had too much on it and it went out of play.
13:09Rob Guest
Crucial tackle
Micky van de Ven to the rescue for Tottenham with a superb tackle on Ollie Watkins in the box.
The Aston Villa man had got the better of Cristian Romero following a long ball over the top and looked set to test Guglielmo Vicario before Van de Ven raced back to help his team out.
13:00Rob Guest
Peep
We’re up and running at Villa Park.
It is a huge day for both clubs as they target a Champions League finish come the end of May.
As was the case at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in November, you won’t want to take your eyes off this game!
12:50Rob Guest
Almost time
We’re ten minutes away from kick-off here in the Midlands.
Stay tuned for all the action!
12:34Rob Guest
Phillips excelling for Plymouth
Ashley Phillips is making quite the impression for Plymouth Argyle in the Championship following his Tottenham loan exit.
The centre-back looks right at home in England’s second tier and his move to Devon is only going to benefit Spurs in the years ahead.
football.london caught up with Chris Errington of Plymouth Live to get the lowdown on the 18-year-old’s loan spell.
Read here.
12:17Rob Guest
Timo time
Timo Werner had a big say on Tottenham’s win last Saturday after netting his first goal for the football club.
Making an immediate impact for Spurs in the final third by contributing with assists immediately after his loan move from RB Leipzig, the goals unfortunately alluded the German until he broke his duck eight days ago.
Hopefully the first of many more to come, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou believes there is a lot more still to come from the attacker, who starts on the bench this afternoon, during his time in north London.
Read here.
12:04Rob Guest
Confirmed Aston Villa XI
Here is today’s Aston Villa team to take on Tottenham:
Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Konsa, Lenglet, Pau, Digne; Cash, McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Bailey; Tielemans, Watkins.
Subs: Olsen, Diego Carlos, Alex Moreno, Diaby, Zaniolo, Duran, Rogers, Kesler-Hayden, Iroegbunam.
12:00Key Event
Confirmed Tottenham team
Here is today’s Tottenham team to take on Aston Villa:
Tottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Johnson.
Subs: Austin, Emerson, Davies, Dragusin, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Lo Celso, Werner, Scarlett.
11:41Rob Guest
Ange on what Tottenham need this summer
Ange Postecoglou has made quite the start as Tottenham Hotspur head coach.
Getting the team back on track and in contention for a Champions League spot after failing to qualify for Europe last season, there is certainly much more to come from the Australian’s side as they look to build for a very bright future in the capital.
Making a statement in the last two transfer windows, all eyes will be on the north London club in the summer as they aim to further strengthen their squad.
Ahead of today’s game at Villa Park, Postecoglou opened up on what is needed in the summer if he is to take Tottenham to the next level and he also explained why they won’t buy a £100m player.
Read here.
11:22Rob Guest
Johnson’s big role
Brennan Johnson has made quite the impact off the substitutes’ bench for Tottenham in recent weeks.
Last weekend’s win over Crystal Palace was a prime example as he got two assists to his name after teeing up Timo Werner and Son Heung-min in his 27 minutes on the pitch.
Perhaps not the Spurs role he wants at present as he would prefer to be starting games, the 22-year-old can be a huge weapon off the bench for Postecoglou and Tottenham if he is to remain a substitute for the time being.
Read here.
11:05Rob Guest
Aston Villa vs Tottenham match scenarios
Today’s game at Villa Park could have quite the say on the top-four race come the end of the season.
As things stand, Aston Villa lead the way for fourth due to their five-point lead over Tottenham but Ange Postecoglou’s men do still have a game in hand to come.
It really is a match Spurs cannot afford to lose or else they will have a mountain to climb in what remains of the season.
Ahead of this afternoon’s mouth-watering encounter, here we take a look at the different match scenarios facing Tottenham and what it would mean for their Champions League hopes.
Read here.
10:46Rob Guest
Reporters pick Tottenham XI
So who will Ange Postecoglou select in his Tottenham XI for today’s game at Villa Park?
Does Brennan Johnson come in after an excellent showing off the bench against Crystal Palace or do Dejan Kulusevski and Timo Werner continue on the flanks?
There is also a decision to be made in midfield with Pape Matar Sarr pushing for a start after his time on the bench last weekend.
Our Tottenham reporters at football.london have made their team selections for the Aston Villa match right here.
10:23Rob Guest
Aston Villa vs Tottenham odds
Aston Villa vs Tottenham match odds
Aston Villa – 13/10
Draw – 21/10
Tottenham – 7/5
Odds via Betfair
10:06Rob Guest
Predicted team
Ange Postecoglou has a couple of decisions to make in regards to his Tottenham team to take on Aston Villa.
A change in midfield could take place as Pape Matar Sarr will be pushing for a starting spot after dropping down to the bench last Saturday against Crystal Palace.
The head coach then must decide if Brennan Johnson comes into the XI after his excellent cameo against the Eagles.
Our man Alasdair Gold has named his predicted team right here.
09:40Rob Guest
Tottenham and Aston Villa fixtures compared
Today’s game in the Midlands could have a huge say on who finishes the 2023/24 Premier League season in the final Champions League position.
While of course nothing will be decided by 3pm this afternoon as there is still an awful lot of football on the calendar to be played, it is a game Tottenham really cannot afford to lose.
Here is who both sides have to play in the run-in following today’s encounter at Villa Park.
09:27Rob Guest
Every word from Ange
Ange Postecoglou was in front of the media on Friday to preview the Premier League game against Aston Villa.
Quizzed on Pedro Porro’s fitness, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and Matty Cash, the Spurs boss was also asked about Unai Emery’s impressive Villa side.
If indeed you missed what Postecoglou had to say in his press conference then fear not as we have a full transcript right here.
09:11Rob Guest
TV channel
Tottenham fans not travelling to the Midlands to watch today’s game at Villa Park will still be able to watch all the action live on TV in the UK.
Sky Sports main event and Sky Sports Premier League is the place to be, with coverage commencing at 1pm.
Alternatively, you can stick with us right here in our live blog for updates from the crunch encounter at Villa Park.
Rob Guest
Welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Tottenham’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa.
Keep with us over the next few hours as we bring you all the latest ahead of the 1pm kick-off in the Midlands.
Stay tuned!
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.