Key man ruled out as Postecoglou makes 3 changes | Predicted Tottenham XI vs Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur have been defeated in two of their last three Premier League matches but have made good progress in the Carabao Cup, having defeated Manchester City in midweek. The Lilywhites will be looking to use that momentum in the English top flight when they take on Aston Villa this weekend.

It is high time Ange Postecoglou’s side picks up pace in the Premier League to have any chance of finishing in the top four. By picking up just 13 points so far in the campaign, Spurs have dropped over 50% of the amount they have contested for, and will need a far better showing in their upcoming league games than the preceding ones.

Here is a look at how Spurs could line-up:

Goalkeeper – Guglielme Vicario will be the go-to option for Tottenham on Sunday. There is not much to say about his performances at this point but given that they have met expectations, there is no reason to not start the Italian.

Defenders – Micky van de Ven is injured and will miss the next few weeks of action, Postecoglou confirmed in his pre-match press conference, so Radu Dragusin will play alongside Cristian Romero in central defence.

Destiny Udogie will be recalled to play as the left back, a position which van de Ven occupied against City, while Pedro Porro will take over at right back from Archie Gray against Aston Villa.

Son returns at Werner’s expense

Midfielders – Tottenham Hotspur were strong in midfield against Manchester City and won the battle in the middle of the park against Pep Guardiola’s men. Therefore, Rodrigo Bentancur could keep his place as the defensive midfielder, as will Dejan Kulusevski on the right side of the engine room having provided two assists in the EFL Cup.

Pape Mata Sarr was the scorer of one of Spurs’ goals against City but is likely to make way for the well-rested James Maddison.

Forwards – Son Heung-min is expected to return from his injury and will replace Timo Werner on the left wing. The South Korean is not suffering a serious issue but his recovery is being managed cautiously by the Tottenham medical staff.

Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke will play as the right winger and striker, respectively, as they look to return to the kind of form we saw from them only a few weeks ago.

This is how Spurs could look on paper: