Tottenham Hotspur run the risk of crashing out of two cup competitions within the space of a few days when they head to the Midlands for this tough FA Cup fourth-round tie with Aston Villa.
Ange Postecoglou made a rod for his own back by claiming he always wins a trophy in his second season at a club and Spurs crashed out of the EFL Cup on Thursday when they lost to 4-0 Liverpool in the semi-finals.
If Postecoglou's men follow that up with another defeat at Villa Park then the Aussie will need to win the Europa League to back up his boast, although he may not last that long.
The former Celtic boss leads the market for next Premier League manager to be sacked but he can ease some of the pressure with a big win over Aston Villa.
Juggling Champions League football with domestic duties has been a problem for Unai Emery's men and they lost at Wolves last weekend after beating Postecoglou's old club in a Battle of Britain.
But Aston Villa have had a free midweek to prepare for this FA Cup tie and that added freshness could be pivotal, with Spurs having a draining game at Anfield on Thursday night.
How the bookies view it: Villa to deliver a KO blow
BoyleSports are banking on more cup misery for Tottenham as they make Postecoglou's 15/8 outsiders to reach the fifth round, with the price increasing to 13/5 for a win in 90 minutes.
Aston Villa are just 4/11 to go through and the odds only increase to 4/6 if you back them to finish the job in normal time. The draw at 90 minutes pays 3/1.
Recent head to head: Spurs seeking a hat-trick
Tottenham can take heart from their last two meetings with Aston Villa as they crushed Emery's side 4-0 on their last trip to the Midlands then battered them 4-1 in London earlier this season. But Villa had won three in a row against Spurs before that so it has been pretty even in recent years.
Players to watch: Morgan the main man
Emery boosted his ranks before the transfer deadline and made two big-name signings in Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio. Neither has played a lot of football recently though so they will probably start on the bench. That makes in-form Morgan Rogers the best bet for a Villa goal and he's a decent 2/1 with BoyleSports for anytime scorer.
Tottenham's big deadline-day signing was Mathys Tel and the winger could be unleashed from the start here after coming off the bench on Thursday night. The French kid is 10/3 at Bet365 to grab his first Spurs goal.
Probable line-ups
Villa striker Ollie Watkins misses out and they are still without Matty Cash, Pau Torres, Ross Barkley and Kortney Hause but Rashford and Asensio come into contention along with fellow new boy Axel Disasi.
Richarlison limped off in the loss to Liverpool and Spurs are also still missing Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert and Radu Dragusin.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Digne, Konsa, Kamara, Bogarde, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Ramsey, Malen.
Tottenham Hotspur: Kinsky, Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence, Bergvall, Bentancur, Sar, Kulusevski, Son, Tel.
Anything else catch the eye?
I was surprised by how spineless Spurs were at Anfield and they look a demoralised team. Villa should take advantage and combining the home win with over 2.5 goals pays 5/4,
Neither side has looked solid defence this season so it bodes well for an entertaining game with chances at both ends. Over 3.5 goals looks good at 11/10, with that bet landing in the last two meetings, while combining BTTS with no draw pays evens.
John McGinn's return from injury is a big boost for Villa and the skipper looks good at 6/5 with Bet365 to have a shot on target. He's also 4/1 for an assist and that could pay off as he often takes the set-pieces.
Both teams are likely to play on the front foot so going for a lot of corners could pay off too, with over 11.5 flag kicks priced 11/8 at BoyleSports.
This FA Cup match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur will be played on Feb 9, 2025 and kick off at 17:35. Check below for our tipsters best Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
