Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur: FA Cup fourth-round preview

Tottenham Hotspur take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round, aiming to keep their silverware hopes alive after their Carabao Cup heartbreak.

After exiting the Carabao Cup semi-finals in humiliating fashion, Spurs have had less than 72 hours to prepare for yet another knockout clash. This time, it’s against the side that dashed their Champions League dreams last season—Aston Villa.

The past few days have been a rollercoaster for Spurs fans, from the excitement of back-to-back wins and new signings to the crushing disappointment of Thursday night’s thrashing at Anfield. Now, Ange Postecoglou‘s men must dust themselves off and fight to stay in another cup competition.

What time does Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur kick-off?

• Location: Birmingham, England
• Stadium: Villa Park
• Date: Sunday 9th February 2025
• Kick-off Time: 5:35 pm BST
• Referee: Anthony Taylor
• VAR: Not in use until the 5th round

How both teams go into Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur

Despite winning three of their last five matches in all competitions, it’s safe to say Spurs will arrive at Villa Park low on confidence. The 4-0 demolition at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg was heartbreaking, especially after leading 1-0 on aggregate.

That’s one trophy chance gone—another reminder of how much silverware means to Spurs fans. Before that, they had secured consecutive wins, including a 2-0 victory over Brentford and a 3-0 win against IF Elfsborg. They faced Tamworth in the 3rd round of the FA Cup which was a comfortable (though unnecessarily prolonged) 3-0 win.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, aren’t exactly brimming with confidence either. Their 2-0 league defeat to Wolves was a setback, though not nearly as painful as a semi-final collapse.

In their last five games, they have just one win, two draws, and two losses. Their lone victory—a thrilling 4-2 win over Celtic—was enough to send them into the Champions League round of 16.

In the FA Cup third round, they battled past West Ham in Graham Potter’s first game in charge, coming from behind to win 2-1 thanks to goals from Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers.

Spurs might have drawn one of the toughest possible opponents, but history is on their side. Villa have beaten Spurs just once in their last six FA Cup ties, with that win dating back to 1992. The recent head-to-head record is even more lopsided—Spurs have won nine of their last ten visits to Villa Park, scoring eight goals in their last two meetings with the Villans.

Tottenham team news

Tottenham’s injury crisis continues, with 12 players unavailable for this fixture. The club brought in two new signings on deadline day but have lost two more (Radu Draguisn and Richarlison) to the ever-growing casualty list.

Richarlison suffered yet another injury, this time a calf issue that forced him off before half-time against Liverpool. He joins a long list of absentees, including Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert, Timo Werner, Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, Dane Scarlett and Radu Dragusin

At this rate, Spurs could field a pretty strong XI just from their injured players alone.

Aston Villa team news

Villa have been active in the transfer window, bringing in Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, and Axel Disasi—the latter to the unexpected relief of Spurs fans.

However, their top scorer Ollie Watkins is ruled out after picking up an injury against Wolves. Other key absentees include: Matty Cash, Pau Torres, Ross Barkley and Tyrone Mings.

Predicted Tottenham line-up

Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence; Bergvall, Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Tel, Son.

There’s a decent chance Mikey Moore could start on the right, pushing Kulusevski into midfield at Bissouma’s expense. With Rodrigo Bentancur playing a full 90 minutes against Liverpool, expect him to be rested, while Sarr and Bissouma (who only played 57 minutes) will likely start.

Our insights into Aston Villa vs Tottenham

Regardless of Spurs’ struggles under Ange Postecoglou, it has consistently worked against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

We’ve analysed Villa’s recent matches, and here’s what stands out:

• Lucas Digne can be a defensive liability. He often abandons his left-back duties, creating confusion with Boubacar Kamara. Kamara, in turn, has looked shaky under pressure, a weakness that Celtic and Wolves exploited. Spurs’ right-sided attackers: Kulusevski and Bergvall should have a great time.
• Emiliano Martínez struggles with angled shots. The Argentine shot-stopper is world-class but has difficulty dealing with efforts that don’t come from central areas. Spurs should aim for cutbacks and low-driven shots from the flanks rather than straight-down-the-middle strikes.
• Villa’s set-piece threat is real. Only Arsenal have scored more set-piece goals than them this season, but Spurs have improved in defending dead-ball situations—this shouldn’t be a major concern.
• Villa’s quick-passing traps can be dangerous. Their midfield and wingers love to play sharp back-passes, luring defenders forward before releasing a runner into space. Morgan Rogers thrives in these scenarios. Spurs must resist pressing too high—Davies and Danso won’t win a footrace against Villa’s wingers. If Van de Ven was available, it would be less of an issue.
• If Villa score first, they’ll sit deep. Emery’s side are notorious for shutting up shop after taking the lead. Spurs pulled off an equaliser in their last meeting, but it was anything but easy. Avoiding an early setback is crucial.

Our prediction

Aston Villa were among the busiest clubs in the January window, and with Ollie Watkins out, the player to watch out for would be Marcus Rashford against all odds.

Something about his transfer suggests he’s been waiting for the perfect moment to pounce, even though, on paper, he’s going through a rough patch. If Unai Emery thinks he’s still not ready, another player who is likely to pose a threat would be Marco Asensio. He has a dribbling success rate of 57.1 per cent and thrives on winning possession in the final third, having done so eight times already this season.

Another player to keep an eye on is Youri Tielemans—Villa’s silent playmaker. I mentioned Villa’s tactic of playing the ball back to draw defenders forward, and almost every time, Tielemans is involved in the process. Spurs will need to cut off his passing lanes.

Spurs fans don’t need another reminder of what being knocked out of a cup competition feels like—it’s painfully familiar. But going from a semi-final to no trophies in just three days would be an unbearable reality.

Ange Postecoglou’s job was shielded by his team’s cup runs, despite their league form. A defeat here would remove that safety net, piling on pressure like never before.

Villa boast a stunning 10-game unbeaten streak at home, suffering just one loss all season. But stats show Spurs love a visit to the Villa Park.

Predicted score: Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur. (Though I was very tempted to say 4-0.)

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