Tottenham vs Aston Villa Prediction: Betting Tips & Odds

Neither Tottenham nor Aston Villa has won a Premier League game yet, and one of them has a decent chance to change that on Saturday night at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Kick-off is 11:30pm NZT. Tottenham are 17th with two points and haven’t scored a league goal. Villa are two places and a point worse off, with one goal from four games.

In this Tottenham vs Aston Villa preview, I explain why I’m expecting goals to be scarce. There’s a low-scoring angle priced north of $2 further down for anyone keen to bet on football this weekend.

Tottenham

Tottenham can’t buy a goal.

Close to £400 million went on signings this summer, yet they’ve failed to score in their opening four league games for the first time in the club’s history.

I thought they were decent for half an hour against Everton last weekend. They finished with 14 shots, but Jordan Pickford was only seriously tested once, by a Lucas Bergvall drive from distance.

Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke deserve credit for back-to-back league clean sheets against Nottingham Forest and Everton. Midweek at Anfield offered a crumb of comfort. Conor Gallagher finally got them on the board against top-flight opposition in a 3-1 League Cup defeat to Liverpool.

For me, fitness is the bigger worry. Roberto De Zerbi admitted after the Everton game that his squad isn’t in the best physical condition yet.

Team News: Simons, Kulusevski, Odobert and Mudryk are out. Tonali and Porro are doubts.

Predicted Lineup: Kinsky; Gray, van Hecke, van de Ven, Udogie; Tonali, Bentancur; Savio, Fernandes, Marmoush; Solanke.

Aston Villa

Villa look even more lost.

A 4-0 hammering at Brighton opened their season. Arsenal then won 1-0 at Villa Park before a goalless draw at Hull.

Alysson headed in their first league goal of the season from a John McGinn cross against Nottingham Forest last weekend, but they still lost 2-1. Igor Jesus won it against ten men two minutes from time.

I’m struggling to see where the goals come from. Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea and Youri Tielemans left for Manchester United over the summer, while Nicolas Jackson was hooked at half-time against Forest.

It isn’t all doom. Villa won 3-2 away at Club Brugge in the Champions League, and Joao Gomes is back from the three-match domestic ban he picked up on opening day.

Ibrahim Mbaye livened things up off the bench last weekend, and I expect him to start here.

Team News: Onana, Goretzka, Madjo, Maatsen and Torres are out. Cash is a doubt.

Predicted Lineup: Suzuki; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Mings, Ruggeri; Kamara, Gomes; Mbaye, McGinn, Alysson; Jackson.

• Villa have won their last two visits to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
• Tottenham won 2-1 at Villa Park in the most recent meeting.
• Both teams scored in four of the last five meetings.
• Tottenham’s 0-0 with Everton was their first goalless league draw at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
• This is only the fourth time Villa have failed to win any of their first four Premier League games.

I’m backing Tottenham, but I’m far from confident.

I trust their defence more than Villa’s attack, and home advantage helps against a side playing their third game in eight days.

This lunchtime kick-off in London comes only three days after their League Cup trip to Coventry, which is a short turnaround for a squad already missing two first-choice defenders.

My nagging doubt is the head-to-head. Villa have had Tottenham’s number in recent years, and I haven’t forgotten how often this Tottenham side finds new ways to disappoint.

Goals are my other question. I can’t picture either attack clicking into gear, and a nervy home crowd won’t help if it’s still 0-0 at half-time.

A scrappy 1-0 to Tottenham feels right to me. If I’m wrong, I’d expect Villa to nick one on the counter rather than this turning into a shootout. Whichever legal betting sites you’re using, I’d steer well clear of the overs.

Under 2.5 Goals and BTTS No @ $2.40

Both teams have scored in just one of the eight Premier League games these sides have played this season.

Tottenham’s four league outings have produced five goals in total, all of them conceded. Villa have failed to score in three of their four.

I know recent meetings have been more open. But those games featured Rogers and Tielemans for Villa, plus a Tottenham side that could actually finish its chances.

The danger is Tottenham finally scoring early and the game opening up, which I can’t rule out.

I’d grab the $2.40 on New Zealand betting sites before the market catches up with how blunt both attacks are.