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Despite Tottenham’s make or break game of the season coming next week, Ange Postecoglou said he will “put out a team that hopefully gets the job done” against Aston Villa and “go out there to try to win the game.”
The head coach said tonight’s game could be a chance for his players to prove themselves for the final.
It’s an opportunity for them to put their name forward for the big game the following week because, as we have already seen in the past couple of weeks, as much as you would like to think there is an ideal starting line-up things happen and players have to be ready for that.
Marcus Rashford is not involved tonight, as expected. The striker, on loan from Manchester United, has failed to recover from a hamstring injury he suffered last month. Rashford cannot play in Villa’s final game of the season at his parent club United on 25 May.
Rashford has made 17 appearances for Villa, scoring four goals, since joining from Old Trafford in February and earned an England recall in March after a 12-month absence. It is unlikely he will play for United again while Ruben Amorim is the head coach owing to a breakdown in their relationship. Another loan deal is an option. Villa have a £40m option to buy the player but his future remains unclear. Rashford has made clear he wants a Champions League club and is reluctant to join a team in London.
In our 10 things to look out for this weekend Ben Fisher wrote that Aston Villa could use their “anger” and the rescheduling of this fixture to motivate them to a win. The Premier League agreed to bring forward Tottenham’s trip to Villa Park by 48 hours in order to help them prepare for a Europa League final (before they even reached said final).
The flipside to all of this is Villa can get on the front foot, kicking off 45 minutes before Chelsea entertain Manchester United and two days before Nottingham Forest head to West Ham and Arsenal host Newcastle. Victory for Villa could hoist them as high as fourth before a final-day trip to Old Trafford and, psychologically, that could prove a knockout blow.
Read more from Ben and the rest of our writers on what to keep an eye out for this weekend.
Team news
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; McGinn, Kamara; Onana, Asensio, Rogers; Watkins
Subs: Olsen, Diasi, Bogarde, Digne, García, Mings, Barkley, Bailey, Malen
Spurs (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Spence, Danso, Davies, Reguilón; Gray, Sarr; Odobert, Son, Moore; Tel
Subs: Vicario, Porro, Bissouma, Cassanova, Bentancur, Olusesi, Johnson, Richarlison, Solanke
Referee: Peter Bankes
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the penultimate matchday of the 2024-25 Premier League season. The champions have been decided. Those going back to the Championship have been decided. But second place, Champions League spots and qualification for next’s season’s Europa and Conference League still hang in the balance.
Aston Villa, who host Spurs tonight at Villa Park, have an outside chance of finishing second but they would need to win tonight and their final game of the season and hope several results go their way for that to happen.
Instead Unai Emery’s men will be targeting a finish in the top five which guarantees Champions League football next season. Only five points currently separate Arsenal in second and Villa in sixth. As things stand, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle, Manchester City and Chelsea occupy the top five, but Villa along with Nottingham Forest are well-placed to capitalise on any slip ups.
As for Tottenham, full focus is understandably on the Europa League final against Manchester United. Ange Postecoglou’s side are a lowly 17th in the table and the manager will likely rest many of his starters tonight.
Join me for team news and buildup before the 7.30pm BST kick-off. And, as always, feel free to send me an email with your thoughts, questions, predictions, complaints and rituals. I want to hear it all!
