Premier League preview: Tottenham v Aston Villa

5 October 2012 09:14

Tottenham head into their Premier League clash against Aston Villa on Sunday as one of the form teams of the competition.

After a sluggish start to the campaign, Spurs have roared into life with three league wins on the trot, highlighted by their most recent triumph against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The 3-2 result was Tottenham's first away win over the Red Devils in 23 years and has made the early intense scrutiny on manager Andre Villas-Boas seem like a distant memory.

Spurs all of a sudden find themselves in fifth position and just five points adrift of Villas-Boas' old side Chelsea, who currently sit atop the table.

Their upcoming clash against Villa is at White Hart Lane so Tottenham will head in as warm favourites to add another three points to their tally.

The Villans have had a tougher time of it so far in the Premier League, managing just one win and two draws from their first six matches to occupy 15th spot on the table.

The fact that they have only registered one league win at Tottenham's home ground in the past 12 years does not bode well for them either.

And in an ominous warning for Aston Villa, new Spurs recruit Gylfi Sigurdsson intimated it would be only a matter of time before Tottenham became one of the hardest teams to play against in the Premier League.

"Once we click we will be clinical," he said.

"The signs are all there in our build-up play and the next step, consistent finishing, will be key.

"There have been a lot of changes to the squad in a short period but I look around me and see such quality that the goals we deserve and seek cannot be far away. How can they be?

"Our approach makes that inevitable."

Emmanuel Adebayor (hamstring) could be fit in time for the clash with Aston Villa in what would be his first appearance for Spurs this campaign.

But team-mates Younes Kaboul, Kyle Naughton, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Scott Parker will be unavailable due to injury.

Jermain Defoe is expected to start the match as Tottenham's lone striker.

Meanwhile, former Spurs striker Darren Bent returns to White Hart Lane with Aston Villa this Sunday.