With the transfer deadline having passed, Premier League clubs are now stuck with the players they have at their disposal until January. A few teams were active toward the end of the transfer window on Thursday night and one of those was Tottenham Hotspur.
On Saturday 10th August they face Aston Villa at home in their first Premier League game of the 2019/20 season. This is a must-win match for Spurs but can the newly promoted team cause an upset in London?
Spurs were busy on transfer deadline day and added Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon to their squad. The duo join Tanguy Ndombele as being the three main additions for Spurs this summer. Preseason came to an end for Spurs with a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan although they lost the penalty shootout to determine the winner.
Welcoming the new lads 👋#HolaLoCelso ⚪️ #SessegnonSigns pic.twitter.com/Ainxwsxhzx— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 9, 2019
Welcoming the new lads 👋#HolaLoCelso ⚪️ #SessegnonSigns pic.twitter.com/Ainxwsxhzx
Spurs had previously won a penalty shootout to defeat Bayern Munich at the Audi Cup following a 2-2 draw and beat Real Madrid 1-0 at the same event. Spurs have also beaten Juventus in preseason but lost 2-1 to Manchester United.
Trends show Spurs are undefeated in eight of their last nine home Premier League games and they will be looking to make the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a fortress this season. They have kept three clean sheets in their last five home league games and Spurs have seen under 2.5 goals in four of their last five Premier League matches.
Aston Villa have been busy in the summer recruiting new players. Wesley, Tyrone Mings, Douglas Luiz, Matt Targett, Ezri Konsa, Marvelous Nakamba, Trezeguet, Tom Heaton, Bjorn Engels, Jota and Kourtney Hause are all new faces who have joined on permanent deals since winning promotion to the Premier League.
Preseason results have been very good for Aston Villa and they have defeated Minnesota United, Shrewsbury Town, Walsall, Charlton Athletic and RB Leipzig. Aston Villa have scored 12 goals across their last three friendly matches.
Away form was strong toward the end of last season and in the regular league season, Aston Villa won five and were held in two of their final seven away Championship matches. However, the Premier League is going to be a step up from that level.
Tottenham Hotspur will hand a Premier League debut to Tanguy Ndombele but it is unlikely either of the other two signings will start the match. Deli Alli, Juan Foyth and Ben Davies are injured while Son Heung-Min is suspended.
Aston Villa have doubts over the fitness of Anwar El Ghazi, Jed Steer and Ezri Konsa Ngoyo. Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba joined the squad late so are unlikely to start but Wesley, Jota, Tom Heaton, Tyrone Mings and Matt Targett are all expected to be involved.
Aston Villa have several new signings in their team and it will be interesting to see how they play together. Spurs on the other hand will have only one and they look the stronger, more settled group. Expect to see Spurs win this match but at least 2 goals.