Notebook - Aston Villa vs Spurs | OneFootball

On Saturday, we travel to face Aston Villa in the Premier League (kick-off 3pm UK).

Here are the game's key points of note…

1 - Back to winning ways

We head to the West Midlands with a renewed sense of confidence after ending a four-game winless run with a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace last time out. Our win was built on a resolute defensive display which earned us a first clean sheet in 10 league fixtures. With teams around us dropping points, the win lifted us to sixth. Now we face a Villa side who are also in the running for European football next season.

2 - Impressive against Villa

In recent seasons, we have developed a knack of getting victories against Aston Villa. Out of our last 15 Premier League outings in this fixture, we have won 12 and lost three (each of those defeats have come in N17).

3 - Villa Park victories

At Villa Park, our record gets even better having not lost in 15 competitive matches there since New Year's Day 2008 (W10 D4). When playing away in the Premier League, we have won our previous seven games and are unbeaten in 11 in this fixture (W9 D2), winning 4-0 in our most recent visit to keep up our record of scoring at least twice each time.

Our previous trip to Villa: Aston Villa 0-4 Spurs - April, 2022

4 - Patchy away form

Despite our dominance in this fixture, we will need to turnaround recent league away form which has seen us go six games without a win (D2 L4), conceding 10 in our last two on the road.

5 - Villa's fortress

Villa come into this game having won each of their last five Premier League home games in a row - their best such run in a quarter of a century - turning their historic stadium into somewhat of a fortress of late. They have earned those victories without conceding a goal and would equal a club league record if they were to keep another home clean sheet on Saturday.

6 - Revitalised under Emery

Unai Emery has transformed the mood since he arrived in the West Midlands in November, 2022. The Spaniard took charge with Villa in 16th but they have since matched the form of those at the top end of the table, set a competition record for most consecutive games a team has scored in under a new manager (20) and are now firmly in contention for Europe.

7 - The Villans' form

After 20 matches under Emery, the claret and blue were one of the competition’s form sides with no team winning more games (13) and their 42 points collected was only bettered by his former side Arsenal (44 points). However, in the two games since, they have fallen to consecutive 1-0 defeats, first away to Manchester United and then to Wolverhampton Wanderers, ending an impressive run with them currently three points behind us in eighth.

8 - Sonny's Villa record

Heung-Min Son has six goal involvements in his five appearances against Aston Villa (five goals, one assist). At Villa Park, our number seven has scored five goals in his two appearances, including a hat-trick in our 4-0 win last season.

9 - Wary of Watkins

Ollie Watkins has netted 14 league goals so far this term, equalling his best top-flight tally from 2020/21 season. Emery has found a way to get the best out of the English striker with 12 of his goals coming under the Spaniard.