Aston Villa v Tottenham LIVE: Team news as Spurs battle for Premier League survival | OneFootball

Roberto De Zerbi has urged Tottenham to banish negative thoughts (Reuters)

Aston Villa vs Tottenham - Premier League

Team news on the way...

We’ll have the team news from Villa Park for you in the next little while. Xavi Simons will not be involved after a cruel injury blow ahead of the World Cup.

Xavi Simons ruled out of World Cup as injury ends his Tottenham season

The absence of the attacker is a huge blow to Tottenham’s survival hopes

Harry Latham-Coyle3 May 2026 17:42

Glenn Hoddle reveals he offered to manage Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur legend Glenn Hoddle has revealed he offered to take charge of the club amid their desperate fight against relegation, prior to Roberto De Zerbi’s appointment.

"They never came to us. We did, Ossie (Ardiles) and myself, after the Forest game, we felt there was a real problem there."

He added: "Ossie and I made it clear that we would go in there if they wanted us to go in there with probably a younger legend (as coach) as well."

Mike Jones3 May 2026 17:36

Glenn Hoddle reveals he offered to manage Tottenham with Ossie Ardiles before Roberto De Zerbi appointment

Roberto De Zerbi is the man tasked with steering Spurs to safety, but a pair of club legends had their eyes on the role, too. Glenn Hoddle and Ossie Ardiles were a great midfield double act – but I think Tottenham made the right call...

Hoddle reveals Spurs legends offered to manage team before De Zerbi appointment

Tottenham opted to turn to Roberto De Zerbi to try and keep them in the Premier League

Harry Latham-Coyle3 May 2026 17:30

De Zerbi can rebuild Tottenham

Unai Emery is confident that Roberto De Zerbi is the man to take Tottenham forward after two terrible seasons in the Premier League.

De Zerbi’s first task is to ensure Spurs don’t get relegated and if he achieves that Emery is backing him to impose an identity on Tottenham.

“De Zerbi has maybe the highest challenge of his career, to try and save them,” Emery explained. “With time, he’s going to build a strong team with his idea and style, making an impact.

“He did it here with Brighton and as well in Marseille. He has only coached three matches with Tottenham, and he will need time.

“The most important thing for them is to try to compete and escape from the bottom. He will get success during his time with Tottenham, I’m sure.”

(Getty)

Mike Jones3 May 2026 17:24

Unai Emery fumes over ‘crazy’ decision as Elliot Anderson escapes red card: ‘Where is VAR?’

Unai Emery was not best pleased at all by some of the officiating on Thursday, evening calling for more VAR. A rarity.

Emery fumes over ‘crazy’ decision as Anderson escapes red card: ‘Where is VAR?’

Unai Emery was furious that Elliot Anderson escaped a red card for his challenge on Ollie Watkins

Harry Latham-Coyle3 May 2026 17:18

Emery on difficult task in Premier League

More from the Aston Villa boss who explained: “When we won two weeks ago in the last minute against Sunderland, I was positive. Last week when we lost against Fulham, I was not so positive about everything we’re doing and the points we need to get fifth, fourth or third in the league.

“There are some teams behind us performing well, like Brighton for example or Chelsea with their capacity to win a lot of matches at the end of the season. We must focus on our own matches and trying to get points.

“The first one is on Sunday against Tottenham, and I am positive and delighted with how we are arriving in the moment we’re in now, playing in the semi-final with a second leg to play and in the position we are in the league.

“It’s really fantastic with the consistency we are achieving, but we still have the last challenges to play.”

Mike Jones3 May 2026 17:12

Villa focused on Champions League spots

Unai Emery says Aston Villa have shrugged off the defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Europa League and are focusing on finishing as high in the

“Each match is very important,” said Emery. “In the Premier League we’re involved in day 35 – we are completely focusing on it as a priority.

“Yesterday, the priority was Forest in the Europa League. Now it’s a different competition and the priority is the Premier League and being consistent and demanding through it to achieve our huge challenge to be again in the Champions League.”

Mike Jones3 May 2026 17:06

‘I don’t want crying’: Roberto De Zerbi’s four-minute monologue on Tottenham’s survival fight

Roberto De Zerbi has warned Tottenham’s relegation rivals not to count them out and promised there will be no crying at the club over more injury problems this season.

Spurs secured a first Premier League win in 16 matches at Wolves on Saturday, but it was quickly followed by Xavi Simons (knee) being ruled out for the majority of 2026 while Dominic Solanke is also out with a hamstring issue.

Ahead of today’s trip to Aston Villa, De Zerbi started his press conference with a four-minute monologue about silencing negativity and reiterated his belief 18th-placed Tottenham can stay up.

Harry Latham-Coyle3 May 2026 17:00

De Zerbi hopes Spurs' players can 'silence the voice'

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi wants his players to ‘silence the voice’ inside of them that is saying they will be relegated.

The manager has called on his squad to think positively about their predicament and play to keep the club in the Premier League.

He said: “Listen, I want to be clear one time. The most important challenge now is to silence the voice inside of us, inside of the players, inside of the staff and inside of the fans. This voice can produce negative thoughts.

“The voice says, ‘we are unlucky, we have too many injuries, we lost Xavi Simons and he was the last two games one of the best players and most important players for us, our medical staff is not good enough and the pitch of the stadium is not good, the pitch of the training ground is not good, it is impossible to win two or three games in a row because we have not won too many games in 2026’. I think it is all negative things and it is rubbish.

“We go to play against one of the best teams in this moment in the Premier League. We have a big respect for Emery as a coach, but if Tottenham win in Villa Park, it is not a miracle.”

Emery on facing 'difficult' Spurs

Aston Villa’s head coach, Unai Emery, spoke about Tottenham’s task of avoiding relegation and how Roberto De Zerbi can impact the team.

He said: “Each match in the Premier League is very difficult. They have very good players and they have a very good coach. Maybe they will need time to set the tactical things he did in Brighton, which were really fantastic.

“I think he will do it, but now they are trying to escape the bottom and they need points more than playing in a strong structure or idea he is usually doing.

“They have experienced players, good players, and I expect a very difficult match. I expect in 90 minutes to play competing in our best way, tactically and in our structure through the players individually and collectively.”