After being dumped from the Carabao Cup semifinals and their league season in tatters, Tottenham now turn their focus to the FA Cup as Spurs travel to meet Aston Villa in the fourth round.
Spurs saw their injury crisis deepen further in the EFL Cup defeat to Liverpool, with Richarlison felled yet again, resulting in the forced debut of new signing Mathys Tel.
It’s been a frustrating year for Spurs, who now face a difficult draw against a quality Premier League opponent early in the other Cup competition.
STREAM:Every FA Cup match LIVE in the USA on ESPN+
Aston Villa, meanwhile, have not progressed past the fourth round of the FA Cup since their defeat in the 2015 final at the hands of Arsenal. A fourth round loss here would round out a decade of frustration in this competition despite their significant growth in the overall Premier League landscape.
MORE: A complete guide to betting on soccer in the United States
Aston Villa vs. Tottenham prediction, odds
Sporting News football betting expert Kyle Bonn shares his best bets, props, and longshot fliers for some of the biggest matches in the sport each week. Since the start of 2024, he has correctly predicted 54.6% of 385 match outcomes via his 3-way moneyline leans for a total profit of 29.5 units.
- Moneyline lean: Aston Villa (-125 on DraftKings)
- Score prediction: Aston Villa 3-1 Tottenham
Incredibly, six players from the Tottenham starting lineup in their 4-1 win over Aston Villa in early November are out injured for this match. It’s left Ange Postecoglou with a skeleton squad from which to pick players, and that has translated directly to their performances on the pitch.
Not only are key Spurs players unavailable for selection, but those who remain are being overworked, as the likes of Heung-Min Son and Dejan Kulusevski look utterly exhausted.
Aston Villa aren’t in great form at the moment, logging a stinker against Wolves last weekend, but they remain more than capable of capitalizing on the issues Spurs have at the moment, especially at home where they have been far better than on the road.
| DraftKings (USA) |
|
| Aston Villa win (90 mins) |
-125 |
| Draw (90 mins) |
+300 |
| Tottenham win (90 mins) |
+270 |
| Both teams to score |
Y: -220 N: +155 |
| Over / Under 3.5 goals |
O: +110 U: -160 |
| Aston Villa to advance |
-230 |
| Tottenham to advance |
+155 |
Aston Villa vs. Tottenham match facts
- Date: Sunday, February 9, 2025
- Kickoff Time: 5:35 p.m. local (12:35 p.m. ET / 9:35 a.m. PT)
- Location: Villa Park (Birmingham, England)
- Referee: Anthony Taylor
- Last meeting: Tottenham 4-1 Aston Villa (Nov. 3, 2024 | Premier League)
MORE: Latest team news and injury updates ahead of Aston Villa vs. Tottenham
Aston Villa vs. Tottenham best bet
- Pick: Aston Villa 17+ total shots
- Odds: +100 on FanDuel
Whether they are up to the task or not on a game-by-game basis, there’s one thing that’s true of nearly every Tottenham game — they concede an absurd amount of shots.
Since the start of November, Spurs have seen their goalkeeper tested nearly 15 times a game in Premier League play, and they conceded a combined 40 shots to Liverpool over the two EFL Cup semifinals legs.
Aston Villa are no shot merchants, preferring to pick their spots, but they have reached this threshold three times in Premier League play since the start of December (all at home) and put 20 up on Ange Postecoglou’s former club Celtic in their UCL league phase finale under two weeks ago at Villa Park.
Aston Villa vs. Tottenham prop bet
- Pick: Marcus Rashford to score or assist a goal
- Odds: +105 (FanDuel)
An FA Cup fourth round match is the perfect spot for Marcus Rashford to make his Aston Villa debut. Ollie Watkins could use a rest, and Rashford feels like a strong fit in this Unai Emery system that pairs two strikers alongside one another as foils.
Rashford has scored in three of his last seven games against Spurs, plus an assist along with it, and he will be up against Pedro Porro who has strong attacking qualities but draws some questions of his defensive capabilities.
Wait until lineups are released to confirm this pick, in the event Unai Emery decides it’s too early to put Rashford in the XI, but it feels like a strong possibility.