So far, so bad for Tottenham and Aston Villa in their Premier League campaigns. Through eight combined games, the two clubs have zero wins, three draws, five losses, and have scored only one goal in total. Something has to break sooner or later, but for now, things are dire. Can either club pull out all three points?
Tottenham are +100 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with a draw at +265. Aston Villa’s moneyline is set at +260.
Tottenham vs. Aston Villa Prediction, Pick
Things have only become more dire for Tottenham in the last week. They faced a hobbled Everton squad last weekend that had nothing going in attack; despite having most of the possession and some big chances, Tottenham couldn’t find that elusive goal. That four-match scoreless mark to open the Premier League season is Tottenham’s longest such drought in club history. In a midweek EFL Cup tie with Liverpool, they had a chance to turn things around, but the Reds soundly rebuffed them 3-1. With one cup competition gone and the prospect of a third straight relegation fight on the horizon, vibes are in the dumps for the Spurs.
It’s not much better for Villa. After a Europa League-winning campaign that secured them a Champions League berth, expectations were through the roof. They hoped to weather the loss of key players like Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Martinez, and Youri Tielemans by deepening the squad; so far, that hasn’t been the case. Villa, one of the most prolific scoring sides in the Prem last season, has only one goal. With Martinez gone, they’re relying on a new goalkeeper in Zion Suzuki to steal points with his saves, but he’s no Dibu.
Here’s the main question: who the heck is going to score a goal here? It doesn’t help that both clubs are tired; they each played a midweek EFL match, and Villa have the added strain of a Champions League match the week before. Sore legs early in the year when you don’t have a single win under your belt has to feel brutal.
A key man to watch here is John McGinn. A steady presence at the club over the past several seasons, McGinn’s incisive passing has been key to many Villa goals. He supplied the assist on their first Premier League goal of the season against Nottingham Forest this past weekend. The problem so far has been the striker play. Nicolas Jackson is producing inconsistent results through his first few matches for the Villans, but perhaps young Alysson Edward can be the answer that manager Unai Emery has been searching for.
Tottenham has a similar problem: too many suppliers, not enough finishers. Omar Marmoush, Dominic Solanke, and Mathys Tel have all failed to capitalize on chances for Roberto De Zerbi’s squad. Burning their bridges with Richarlison hasn’t helped matters. We’ll see who they turn to for Saturday’s match.
Both sides are talented but disjointed, full of high expectations and struggling all the same. I’m not inclined to give Tottenham much of a home-ground edge here, considering how they squandered points against Everton in a similar situation, so I’ll take the value on Villa for the road upset while hedging for the draw.
