Aston Villa have revived their Premier League campaign under Unai Emery, but they suffered a home defeat against Liverpool on Boxing day. The bottom half of the table is quite congested and the Villans, therefore, must regroup themselves for the upcoming contest against Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Day.
Spurs, on the other hand, were losing 2-0 against Brentford for more than an hour. But they scripted another comeback to finish it all square in West London. This won’t please Antonio Conte though as the Lilywhites must get back to winning ways to stay relevant in the ‘top four’ race. They would aim for all three points on Sunday afternoon in their own backyard.
Predicted 4-4-2 Aston Villa Lineup To Face Tottenham Hotspur
Defence
Emiliano Martinez is back in the camp following his World Cup heroics with Argentina. But the gaffer is yet to decide whether to deploy him between the sticks for the Tottenham outing. Otherwise, Robin Olsen would keep his place on back-to-back occasions.
Right fullback Matty Cash should return to the starting XI replacing Ashley Young. With Diego Carlos sidelined for months following his surgery early into the season, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa are expected to continue as the prime central defensive pairing ahead of Jan Bednarek and Calum Chambers. Lucas Digne is likely to keep his place down the left-hand side of a four-man backline.
Midfield
Boubacar Kamara is slowly attuning to the grind and demand of English football since his return from an injury setback. The Frenchman must keep his place in the middle of the park alongside Douglas Luiz. They would not only marshall the defence but also pull the strings with box-to-box movements. A flat ‘midfield four’ might switch to a 4-2-3-1 with Luiz and Kamara operating as the ‘double pivot’.
John McGinn has been excellent so far with his work rate and flexibility. The Scotsman should feature from the right-hand side, whereas Emi Buendia is tipped to retain his left midfield role amid the injury absence of Jacob Ramsey. Fit-again Philippe Coutinho could get involved as a second-half substitute.
Attack
Aston Villa have two outright ‘number 9s’ in their ranks, but the mobility of Ollie Watkins should hand him the starting status before Danny Ings. Leon Bailey had a tough time against the Reds, but his flair and finesse should see him spearheading the attack against a well-rehearsed Spurs defence. Ings must get some minutes as a second-half substitute to offer more directness high up the pitch.
