Bidding to advance to the FA Cup fifth round, Aston Villa lock horns with Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on Saturday evening.
The Villans got the better of West Ham 2-1 in the third round of the FA Cup last month. After suffering a 2-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the West Midlands derby, they have had a full week of training, so Unai Emery will expect a much-improved display from his boys at the weekend.
As for Spurs, they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup semi-finals by Liverpool, who smashed them 4-0 in the return leg at Anfield on Thursday evening and won the tie 4-1 on aggregate. Ange Postecoglou has been under a lot of fire in recent weeks and he cannot afford to see his team being eliminated from another cup competition in the span of just four days.
With a mouthwatering cup tie on offer, let us take a look at the three key battles on the pitch.
#Marcus Rashford vs Pedro Porro
After securing a deadline day loan move to Aston Villa from Manchester United, Marcus Rashford could even be handed a start against Spurs. In Emery’s 4-2-3-1 system, Man United loanee may get a chance to impress from his preferred left-wing role.
The England international has a point to prove at Villa after being dropped by new Man United head coach Ruben Amorim, so there will be an extra motivation for him to perform. This could be a problem for Pedro Porro, who is expected to start at right-back.
Porro likes to invert into midfield and contribute to Spurs’ build-up play centrally, which could leave a lot of space for Rashford to exploit on counter-attacks. Thus, the Spurs right-back must curb his attacking instincts and focus more on his defensive duties if he intends to keep the Villa forward quiet.
#Son Heung-min vs Ezri Konsa
Son Heung-min endured a poor night against Liverpool in midweek as Spurs lost 4-0 at Anfield and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup. The Spurs skipper’s powers are on the wane as evidenced by his performances this season, yet he is the skipper and should lead the attack in the wake of Richarlison’s injury setback.
The 32-year-old will come up against Villa’s Mr. Reliable, Ezri Konsa. The English defender is a composed passer of the ball and strong in the air, and given Son’s poor form, Konsa will be confident of dominating this battle on the pitch.
#Morgan Rogers vs Rodrigo Bentancur
Morgan Rogers has been Villa’s best player this season—creating chances, making assists and scoring goals. He is proving to be the full package under Emery, and the England international will be trying to exploits gaps between Spurs’ midfield and defence on Sunday.
This is something Rodrigo Bentancur has to try and stop if Tottenham are to keep Rogers under check. The Uruguayan had a poor outing against Liverpool in midweek but is experienced enough to bounce back and prove his mettle. If he can stop Rogers from influencing the game, Spurs’ chances of beating Villa will immediately become higher.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
