Tottenham host Aston Villa this weekend in what should be a cracking match. Spurs successfully reached the 5th round of the FA Cup in midweek after an impressive display at Elland Road. Harry Redknapp’s team played some great football on the night and really should have won by more but they face a far tougher test of their credentials against a Villa team that will be full of confidence themselves.

These two sides drew 1-1 at Villa Park back in November but it was Tottenham who bossed much of the game particularly in the second half. Once again, I think the match will be extremely tight but Villa will arguably offer more of a threat in this match as they are set up to be an excellent away side. They’ve beaten both Liverpool and Manchester United away this season so Harry Redknapp’s side will have to guard against the pace the Villans possess on the counter-attack.

Martin O’Neill’s team are unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions (five wins) so will be confident ahead of this match at White Hart Lane. Villa may have struggled for league goals at home of late but defensively they have proved they are strong both at both Villa Park and on the road. Villa boast the best defensive record in the Premier League as well as the meanest defence both home and away. That statistic illustrates just how well Martin has performed in the transfer market as the Villa defence has been completely rebuilt this season with the likes of Richard Dunne, James Collins and Stephen Warnock coming in.

That defence will be put to the test by Tottenham pairing Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch especially now both David Bentley and Gareth Bale have regained their form. The striking duo have scored 28 goals between them in 28 league starts together, so are a partnership to be feared. Defoe grabbed a hat-trick at Leeds and will be Spurs biggest goal threat against the Villans as he boasts a record of four goals in his last five league starts against them.

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Both Bentley and Bale seemed set to leave White Hart Lane in January but have taken their first-team chance superbly. Gareth has always been talented but his decision making and defensive qualities were perhaps lacking. However, Harry and his coaches have obviously done some work with him on the training ground as that area of his game has improved dramatically.

The Welsh full-back also offers great attacking qualities and his ability to beat his opposing full-back and deliver an end product has been there for all to see. The same can be said of Bentley in the last three matches. The lad’s attitude has been questioned but there is no doubting his talent as a footballer. The penny seems to have dropped with him and his performances in particular at St Andrews’ and Elland Road were top drawer.

Villa have their own impressive widemen with Ashley Young and Stewart Downing both able to beat players and produce telling crosses. Therefore, this promises to be an intriguing clash. Martin’s team have won three of their last four away league games without conceding in any of them, yet only one team has been able to score more than a single goal against Spurs in the last 29 league games at the Lane. So despite the great attacking players on show, I don’t expect too many goals. With an estimated £30,000 Premier 10 jackpot to play for, I am backing the draw this week although this should be a cracking game.

Tags: Alan Hansen, Aston Villa, Football Pools, Premier 10, Premier League, Tottenham

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