Tottenham vs Aston Villa Prediction, Odds and Betting Tips: Back two consistent fouls at an attractive price

Aston Villa are 4th. Emery’s men are level on points with Arsenal and have a 5-3-1 (WDL) record in the Premier League. Spurs sit in 8th, five points behind their upcoming opponents. Ange’s side has looked excellent at times. There’s still an inconsistency about Tottenham. They were poor at Palace last weekend.

Spurs are favourites in this encounter. That’s probably fair enough, considering they’re the home side. However, they’re odds-on to win, which doesn’t appeal to me. We saw Micky van de Ven substituted early against Man City midweek. The Dutchman will not feature here. Heung-Min Son hasn’t featured in any of Tottenham’s three previous matches. Spurs’ club captain is doubtful heading into this encounter.

Villa appears to have no injury concerns in their trip to the capital. Unai Emery made plenty of changes in their defeat to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara played 90 minutes, whilst Emi Buendia played the majority. Jhon Duran scored once again. There are plenty of positives to take from that home defeat.

I’m avoiding the main markets in this clash for my main selection. There’s a bet builder selection that looks like a great bet.

Brennan Johnson has had a strong campaign. The Welshman scored seven games on the spin for club and country. Spurs’ number 22 hasn’t found the back of the net for four games now. Johnson has registered a SOT in seven of his nine Premier League outings.

Despite limited minutes, the former Forest man has hit the target in four of five appearances in cup competitions. That’s 11/14 in total, an impressive statistic. Johnson managed a SOT in both clashes with Villa last term. His pace against the high line could cause problems for the visitors.

Youri Tielemans has been tremendously busy this term. The Belgian has been fouled 17 times across the opening nine matches. Youri has won a foul in every encounter, an average of 1.90 per 90.

I’m expecting that streak to continue here. Spurs are forward-thinking and often leave themselves vulnerable. Postecoglou’s side averages 11.78 fouls per game and has committed at least 10 in every encounter. Several players can foul the Belgian. Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison, and Kulusevski should feature. Their foul averages are strong.

Dejan Kulusevski’s Premier League foul average is impressive. The Swede has committed 17 fouls this season, an average of 2.25 per 90. That number extends to 2.58 when adding cup competitions. Dejan is often sweeping up and doing the dirty work. It’s such an attacking team, which means tactical fouls are vital when opponents make a break on the counter. Spurs’ man has received three yellow cards this season.

I’ve already covered Youri Tielemans in this preview. He’s busy. The Belgian likes to get stuck in. Villa’s midfielder has made 16 fouls and has been cautioned twice this season. He’s committed a foul in every encounter this campaign.

With this clash expecting plenty of cards, backing two consistent foul merchants looks like a good angle to consider. The price is attractive at 18/1. Most other bookmakers have this around 12/1.

Tottenham vs Aston Villa Lineups

The starting lineups for Tottenham vs Aston Villa will be displayed in the graphic below once the team news has been announced.