Aston Villa v Tottenham: Eight players now ruled out at Villa Park
Tottenham travel to Villa Park on Friday for their final Premier League game before the Europa League final.
The two sides will have very different objectives, with Ange Postecoglou mainly hoping to avoid further injuries to his squad ahead of their season-defining trip to Bilbao.
Spurs are expected to blend some key players into the starting lineup to optimise their match fitness, although many are expected not to complete the full 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, Unai Emery is set to field his strongest 11 as the Villans remain firmly in the race for Champions League football, sitting level on points with Chelsea in sixth with two games to go.
Tottenham’s bitter injury record continues
Postecoglou has been cursed with injuries since his arrival in North London, with Dejan Kulusevski the latest casualty after he required knee surgery.
His absence leaves a gaping hole in the attacking midfield area as he joins James Maddison on the sidelines.
An outside hope to recover Lucas Bergvall has been quashed, meaning the Swede is also set to miss out on the trip to the Midlands alongside long-term absentees Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin.
Aston Villa only have two injuries to contend with ahead of this fixture, in Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford and Belgium international Youri Tielemans, confirmed to be unavailable.
Former Spurs target Jacob Ramsey is also suspended for the game, but there is no doubt Emery has a far healthier and more motivated squad to choose from.
Spurs’ games against Villa guaranteed goals
Tottenham‘s games against Villa since Postecoglou’s arrival have always seen plenty of action, though their most recent game saw Tottenham crash out of the FA Cup without much resistance.
| Date | Competition | Result |
| 09/02/25 | FA Cup | 2-1 L |
| 03/11/24 | Premier League | 4-1 W |
| 10/03/24 | Premier League | 4-0 W |
| 26/11/23 | Premier League | 2-1 L |
This fixture gives Spurs the slim chance to avenge their cup knockout and get one over on the team that pipped them to fourth place last season.
Both teams are attack-minded, which arguably suits the Lilywhites as they perform at their best when opposition teams afford space for them to attack, and a positive result could give them and their fans extra impetus ahead of their clash with Manchester United.