Aston Villa vs. Tottenham Hotspur Preview

After a woeful defeat at home to Bolton Wanderers and a drab draw away at West Brom, a desperate looking Aston Villa need points from their next Premier League fixture against Champions League chasing Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday May 6 to quell their relegation fears ahead of the final game of the season.

These two sides had been relatively evenly matched throughout the past decade, until the current campaign which has seen the Midlands club struggle from the outset under Alex McLeish.

The Scot experienced demise to the Championship when in charge of rivals Birmingham City and he will be praying that another failure is not added to his resume.

McLeish is likely to be put under pressure by both fans and the club’s board regardless of the overall outcome this term which has easily been Villa’s worst period since the inauguration of the Premier League back in 1992.

Villa have managed just seven wins from 36 matches, mustering a miserly 37 points which leaves them just three clear of safety with two fixtures remaining.

And the odds will be against them attaining victory number eight when Spurs visit Villa Park on the back of a 2-0 success at home to Blackburn Rovers.

Prior to that result, Tottenham had themselves experienced a fairly torrid run of late but Harry Redknapp’s men are crucially still holding on to fourth place after Newcastle United were hammered at Wigan Athletic.

Redknapp is still being heavily linked with the vacant England job but will be hell bent on steering his troops into the Champions League for the second time of his tenure.

And the North Londoners can move one step closer to achieving that goal here despite the fact that their record on the road has faltered since the turn of the year.

Spurs have lost as many games as they have won away from home but should relish the trip to Villa Park to face a team which has lost on eight occasions in front of their own supporters in 2011/2012.

Villa’s lacklustre midfield will be struggling to contain the likes of Modric and Bale who could run amok if given too much space.

The hosts have struggled to hit the net all season long and simply do not possess the goal threat of their opponents who will be confident of finding space in behind Villa’s rigid and slow back four.

A point could well be enough to secure Premier League football for Villa next season but it is hard to foresee them claiming anything on current form even if Tottenham are not quite in the vintage touch which they demonstrated throughout the first few months of the campaign.

At a shade of odds against, the visitors represent good value for backers and Redknapp’s side can enjoy a decent final flurry to give themselves the best possible chance of qualifying for Europe’s top club competition.

It would be rather shocking if Villa did bite the dust and whilst they could hold on, they seem set for a nervy final weekend in order to preserve their jeopardised status as a top flight team.

Go To bet365

#Ad

30/04/2012     © Frixo 2026