Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa
Tottenham Hotspur are set to play their first full Premier League season at their brand new home. And their first challenge of the new campaign will see them host newly-promoted Aston Villa.
The Villans, who are back in the Premier League for the first time since 2015-16, have splashed some serious cash this summer with the hope of surviving this season. Manager Dean Smith has close to an entirely new squad at his disposal and will be under pressure to deliver after the club’s significant investments.
But as the Premier League 2019 odds point out, Villa will have their work cut out for them in their opening assignment as they take on a Tottenham side which made the Champions League final last season and figure to be one of the very best teams in the league once again this year.
Talking Points
Spurs make last-minute signings
Tottenham left their transfer business pretty late once again, but they came through with some huge buys that made major Premier League 2019 news.
After breaking their transfer record for central midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, they splashed some more cash on highly-rated midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who had been linked with Spurs most of the summer, as well as Fulham’s full-back/winger Ryan Sessegnon.
They were also close to pulling off a blockbuster deal for Juventus forward Paulo Dybala, but the move broke down reportedly due to image rights issues.
It’s unlikely that Lo Celso and Sessegnon will feature for the team’s season opener against Villa so soon after their transfers, but Ndombele is almost sure to start. He could be joined in the Spurs midfield by Christian Eriksen, who appears to be staying despite stating his desire to move on.
Spurs will have several more notable absentees for the Villa match. Son Heung-Min is suspended after his red card against Bournemouth at the end of last season. Meanwhile, Ben Davies, Juan Foyth, and Dele Alli are all out due to injury, while Eric Dier, Serge Aurier, and Victor Wanyama are doubts.
But the good news for Spurs is that star striker Harry Kane is seemingly healthy to start the season. The England striker scored twice in pre-season — including the winner against Real Madrid in the Audi Cup — and will be eager to get back to his best after scoring just 17 Premier League goals last season, the lowest total of his career.
Top centre-backs Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen will also be present at the heart of a Spurs defence which gave up just 39 goals last season — tied for the third-fewest in the league.
Aston Villa spend big
As incredible as it may seem, Aston Villa were among the top-spending teams in the Premier League this summer in preparation for their return to the top flight. The Villans spent close to €150m in transfers, which was right up there with Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal.
Their most expensive purchase was Brazilian centre-forward Wesley, who scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists in 48 appearances for Club Brugges last season. He will be tasked with replacing last season’s top scorer, Tammy Abraham (26 goals), who has returned to Chelsea.
Captain Jack Grealish will continue to be the team’s main creative force from midfield, with the likes of Anwar El Ghazi, Trezeguet, and Jota taking up the wide positions. However, new central midfield signings Marvelous Nakamba and Douglas Luiz are doubts to feature after their late arrivals.
Villa also remade virtually their entire defence. They bought a new goalie in Tom Heaton, as well as left-back Matt Targett and a bunch of new centre-backs in Tyrone Mings, Bjorn Engels, Ezri Konsa, and Kortney Hause.
With all those changes to the squad, though, there are some serious question marks as to whether Dean Smith will have them on the same page — or anywhere close — to start the season.
History
Tottenham hold the significant edge over Aston Villa in terms of all-time wins, 72-56. The two have also drawn 35 times.
However, Spurs have simply dominated the matchup since 2009. They have lost just once in their last 17 meetings in all competitions, with 13 wins and three draws.
Harry Kane scored three times in their last two Premier League meetings, including both goals in a 2-0 win at Villa Park back in March 2016.
Betting Tip
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Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa | Tottenham Hotspur Asian Handicap -1.50 @ 2.00 |
| August 11, 00:30 (GMT+8) |
SBOBET odds have Villa as one of the biggest underdogs of the opening weekend. They are priced at 9.75 on the 1X2 market to stun Spurs away from home.
Of course, I do not see that happening. Despite their absentees, Spurs are still the superior side by a wide margin. They also have the advantage of being at home and being very familiar with their team-mates.
The exact opposite can be said of Aston Villa, who are a complete mystery after they overhauled their squad over the summer. It’s just hard to believe they will have enough cohesion to avoid getting beaten quite handily by Spurs.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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