Aston Villa v Spurs Preview, Team News, Likely Line-Ups, Key Man & Predicted Score

Tottenham Hotspur take on fellow Premier League side Aston Villa at Villa Park on Tuesday night in the third round of the Capital One Cup.

Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas has once again voiced his concern at having to play another fixture just 48 hours after his side beat Cardiff 1-0 on Sunday. The Portuguese coach feels his side haven’t been given a fair chance at this years League Cup as he will be forced to play a completely different starting eleven for the game tonight.

Villa manager Paul Lambert has his own concerns with the Scot likely to be without eight players for the game, but the former Norwich boss will be keen to build momentum after beating Norwich 1-0 on Saturday.

Team News

The Midlanders are sweating on the fitness of key man Christian Benteke after he was forced off with a hip injury against Norwich on Saturday. Lambert has already ruled him out of tonights game but they will be hoping it’s nothing serious and he’ll be back in contention for the weekend.

Gabriel Agbonlahor is also likely to miss out with an ankle injury and he’s joined by Ashley Westwood who’s ruled out with a thigh problem.

Fabian Delph and Antonio Luna are also struggling to be fit and they join long-term absentees Jores Okore, Charles N’Zogbia and Gary Gardner on the sidelines.

Spurs are expected to name a much-changed side for the game with few of those players who played on Sunday starting again tonight.

Brad Friedel is expected to start in goal, while Ezekiel Fryers, Younes Kaboul and Vlad Chiriches could all come in at the back. Sandro, Erik Lamela and Lewis Holtby are pushing for starts in midfield while Jermain Defoe will start up front if he can overcome a groin strain. Harry Kane is on stand-by to start up front if Defoe’s ruled out.

Etienne Capoue, Nacer Chadli, Aaron Lennon and Danny Rose all remain out through injury.

Likely Line-Ups

Key Man

Erik Lamela: The Argentinean has had a slow start to life in England but played a vital role on Sunday, coming off the bench to set up Paulinho’s winner and he’ll be one to watch tonight as he looks to impress boss AVB.

Predicted Score

Aston Villa 1-2 Tottenham: Both teams are expected to be disrupted with several changes and Spurs squad is far stronger than Villa’s. We think this will prove vital tonight.

What would be your starting eleven for the game and what’s your score prediction? Share your views below.