Chris Sutton has made his prediction for Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa.
The Lilywhites host Unai Emery’s men this Sunday in a key fixture in the race for Champions League qualification.
Villa have lost just once this season and head south sitting fourth on 18 points, level with Arsenal in third and already five points clear of Spurs, who are languishing down in eighth.
Tottenham will be on a high after beating Manchester City 2-1 in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
However, Ange Postecoglou’s men have lost two of their last three Premier League matches, leaving them with very little room for error in a fixture of this magnitude.
Chris Sutton makes Spurs vs Aston Villa prediction
Former Villa striker Sutton — a Premier League winner with Blackburn Rovers in 1994/95 — is struggling to separate these two teams, but is expecting an entertaining game given the quality attacking players on show.
“The away team won on both occasions when these two sides met last season, and you could make a case for Tottenham or Aston Villa coming out on top here,” Sutton told BBC Sport, predicting a 2-2 draw.
He continued: “I do like the way Spurs play but they could do with having Son Heung-min fit – he has missed three of their past four league games – and they have a few other injuries too.
“Whoever is missing, though, Ange Postecoglou will not change his bullish approach. I admire that, and I find it amazing the way people view Spurs at the moment.
“They have won eight of their past 10 games in all competitions, which is pretty good I think, but there is always this underlying ‘Spursy’ or ‘typical Spurs’ label they get given whenever they slip up.
“That could happen here, of course. Spurs will dominate the ball this time too, but I have got no doubt that Villa will score, because they carry such a threat and their front players will definitely have their moments in this game.
“So, there will definitely be plenty of goals… but maybe there won’t be a winner this time – Tottenham have not had a draw since the first game of the season, and I think they will get one here.”