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Villa chasing Europe while Spurs focus on Europa final
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Back a 7/52.40 Villa win with plenty of goals
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Get 9/110.00 on a Villa Bet Builder
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Check out Ste Tudor's Build Ups tips further down this page
Football... Only Bettor. Watch Sunday's Premier League preview now.
Distracted Spurs no match for charging Villa
It's an interesting Friday night in the Premier League with Champions League chasers Aston Villa and Chelsea looking to improve their chances against woeful Tottenham and Man Utd sides - one of which will get into Europe's elite competition through the Europa League back door.
Whatever you think of the watered down Europa League still offering a Champions League spot, it's clear both Utd and Spurs couldn't care less about these games before their final meeting in Bilbao, so Ange Postecoglu will make as many changes as he can.
So it's hard to see anything other than Unai Emery's side delivering as 1/31.33 favourites, and I fancy them to do it in pretty emphatic fashion.
As regardless of what Big Ange will tell you, losing 20 of 36 league games isn't all down to being in the cups, or injuries - although Spurs have plenty of them.
Match Preview
Aston Villa
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Spurs
- W
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They're 13/27.50 here which you can pretty much ignore, but they might just have enough firepower on show to grab a goal. They're such a weird side as despite being 17th they've got a +4 goal difference, and only the top four have scored more than their 63 goals so far.
Villa are great in front of their own fans, winning 10 in their 17-game unbeaten league run at Villa Park, but they've kept just three clean sheets at home this season so 8/151.53 for both teams to score could be on.
And we're almost assured goals as Over 3.5 is well fancied at 20/231.87.
The fact Villa have two clean sheets on the spin coupled with Spurs drawing a blank at home to Palace is just enough of a worry to swerve both teams to score, and instead plump for a home win and over 3.5 goals.
I could quite easily see Spurs scoring
Back Aston Villa to win & over 3.5 goals
Back a 9/110.00 Villa Bet Builder
I'll keep the player props to Villa as Postecoglu could pick anyone for a game he just wants to get out of the way - with Olie Watkins the obvious goalscorer choice - obvious enough to be 4/51.80 anytime goalscorer.
Marco Asensio has had a five-game dry spell, but this could be a perfect fixture to get back onto the scoresheet, he should have enough guile to find the gaps in a makeshift Spurs defence easily enough.
I'll back Asensio to score at 11/82.38.
Boubacar Kamara has offered great returns of late if you've backed him in the fouls markets, with two fouls in his last six games so let's add him at 8/131.61 to an Asensio goal to form a Villa Bet Builder for the game.
And to finish this off, let's add a shot on target from John McGinn at 17/102.70.
He came off the bench at Bournemouth but should start with Jacob Ramsey suspended, and the skipper will lead from the front and should have far too much energy and intent for Spurs. In front of the home fans he'll be keen to make a mark.
Back Asensio to score, McGinn shot on target & Kamara 2+ fouls
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Recommended bets
Back Aston Villa to win & over 3.5 goals @ 7/52.40Back Asensio to score, McGinn shot on target & Kamara 2+ fouls @ 9/110.00
Ste Tudor's Build Ups Tip:
Player to have more shots
From the moment Mathys Tel put on a Spurs shirt he announced himself as a shot-machine, taking on seven attempts on his league debut against Manchester United. Subsequently, in the Premier League, the 20-year-old loanee from Bayern Munich has committed to a shot every 35 minutes for Ange Postecoglou’s struggling side.
It doesn’t surprise therefore to learn that his average of 1.91 is superior to Marco Asensio’s (1.82), the Villa man less inclined to take a risk from range.
Yet still, it is the Spanish attacking midfielder I’m backing here to worry the opposition keeper more, for two distinct reasons.
The first of these is that Spurs are facing down an awful lot of shots at present – 75 in their last five league outings. Moreover, with Villa the form team, and at home, Asensio will likely have more opportunities to let fly.
There is also Villa’s absences to consider. With Rashford and Tielemans out their creative star has greater responsibility to step up and take a gamble.
Back Marco Asensio to have more shots than Mathys Tel
Player to win more fouls
I’m going with a right-back vs right-back match-up here, and intriguingly a Mr Consistent versus a defender whose numbers are on the rise.
Let’s start with the Steady Eddie, he being Pedro Porro. Granted, the Spanish full-back drew four fouls in a recent encounter with Southampton but prior to that we find a stream of ones – six in seven starts.
Somewhat inevitably then, his average for the season is one foul won per 90.
Matty Cash’s average is 0.85, a smidgeon below, and in truth, when analysing the figures game-by-game you expect it to be lower still. That’s because in 10 appearances this term the 27-year-old has only been the fouler, not the foulee.
In recent weeks, however, that’s all changed with eight fouls won in six showings.
Back Matty Cash to win more fouls than Pedro Porro