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· Last Season's Corresponding Game - Villa 1 Spurs 1 - 06.05.12
· This week - last year
· What happened in the Premiership in Match 2011-12
· See the current injury list for all Premiership Teams
· All the Spurs Stats you could hope for here! THFC6061 Sports Stats
Full Record of Spurs -v- Aston Villa
Prem Pl W D L For-Ag Pts
Home 21 10 7 4 32 -22 37
Away 20 3 8 9 17 -26 17
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Total(Prem) 41 13 15 13 49 -48 54
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Football Lge
Home (Div 1) 47 25 6 16 99 -77 62
Away (Div 1) 47 17 11 19 72 -75 48
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Total(Div 1) 94 42 17 35 171 -152 110
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Football Lge
Home (Div 2) 2 1 1 0 4 - 3 3
Away (Div 2) 2 0 1 1 1 - 3 1
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Total(Div 2) 4 1 2 1 5 - 6 4
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Total(Prem) 41 13 15 13 49 -48 54
Total(Div 1) 94 42 17 35 171-152 110
Total(Div 2) 4 1 2 1 5 - 6 4
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Grand Total 139 56 34 49 225-204 168
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Last Six Premier League results:-
Aston Villa
A. Villa 0-0 Arsenal
A. Villa 1-0 Reading
QPR 1-1 A. Villa
A. Villa 0-0 Stoke
Liverpool 1-3 A. Villa
Chelsea 8-0 A. Villa
Spurs
Spurs 3-1 West Ham
Spurs 2-1 Liverpool
Fulham 0-3 Spurs
Everton 2-1 Spurs
Spurs 1-0 Swansea
Spurs 0-0 Stoke
Pos P W D L F-A GD Pts
6. Spurs 18 9 3 6 30-25 5 30
16. A. Villa 18 4 6 8 15-32 -17 18
Who'd be a Villa fan, eh?
Aston Villa and their fans will be seeking to put yesterday's 8-0 thrashing at Stamford Bridge out of their minds (Good luck with that); dusting thesmelves down, and trying to prepare nomally for their Boxing Day meeting with Spurs. The big question is which Villa will turn up? The one which was decimated by Chelsea, or the one which somehow beat Liverpool 3-1 last week at Anfield. It's a funny old game, isn't it?
Those Villa fans who made the effort and travelled to Stamford Bridge were probably hopeful of following up the Anfield performance with a second successive win away to Chelsea. Last Christmas Alex McLeish's struggling side came away from The Bridge with a 3-1 victory, with goals by Stephen Ireland, Stiliyan Petrov, and former Spurs striker, Darren Bent. Since March, Villa have had to face life without their club captain Petrov, still battling leukaemia, and still remembered by Villa fans at the 19 minute stage (his team number) of each game.
Ireland, a first generation nouveau-riche star at Man City, is rarely a 90 minute man for Villa, and has made just 8 starts this season under new broom Paul Lambert, whilst Darren Bent has made less starts (6) and is very much second fiddle to Belgian striker Christian Benteke, scorer of 5 Premier League goals in 13 starts.
Lambert started with the same team at Anfield and Stamford Bridge, so it's even harder to figure out the difference in performances. The performances and form of their opponents come into play of course, and it will be up to Spurs to try and get that all-important early goal on Boxing Day to further dent the confidence and powers of resistance of "The Villans".
When we played Villa at home this season, we didn't get an early goal, but Aaron Lennon scored one of our two goals, and Steven Caulker scored his first Premier League goal for Spurs. The 2-0 scoreline flattered Villa somewhat. We've only managed an early goal twice so far this season. One of those was after Jan Vertonghen's storming run at Old Trafford, where his shot was ultimately deemed an own goal by Jonny Evans. Lennon got the other early goal, in the seventh minute in our 2-1 win at home to Liverpool. An early goal, and a Lennon goal would be great Christmas gifts to Spurs, as never lose when Lennon scores, and of course the opposition have to open up after conceding.
I suspect that we will find a more defensively minded Villa side, but an in-form Gareth Bale could open them up sorely. Incidentally, Sunday's drubbing was their worst ever defeat, on top of being a disaster for Villa's goal difference as they battle it out at the wrong end of the table.
Last season, in May, we went to ailing Aston Villa in an optimistic frame of mind, seeking a win to secure fourth place, but ultimately disappointing, as we managed just a draw, thanks to an Adebayor penalty (Aston Villa 1 Spurs 1 - 6th May, 2012).
Boxing Day matches against Villa have been quite fruitful for Spurs in recent years. In 2010, despite Jermain Defoe seeing red after only 27 minutes, Spurs won 2-1 on a day when the Villa ground was surrounded by snow covered paths. Rafa van der Vaart scored both our goals, as he did in our home game that season. Brad Friedel was in goal for Villa that day, and in just two years, both teams will see a number of changes this year. (Aston Villa 1 Spurs 2 - 26.12.10).
On the same day in 2006, Defoe was our hero, as he scored both goals in another 2-1 win. It wasn't such a good day for Spurs in 1997, when we were fighting relegation. Jurgen Klinsmann was to return to Spurs for our next game, at home to Arsenal, but we suffered a 4-1 defeat on Boxing Day '97, when Collymore and Draper both scored two goals. Colin Calderwood was our lone scorer.
Villa have been missing key players such as Gabriel Agbonlahor, and Ron Vlaar, both of whom might just be available for this game. For Spurs, the only key absentee, other than Younes Kaboul will be Clint Dempsey, who missed the Stoke game due to a hamstring/groin problem. There is a mystery developing about why Benoit Assou-Ekotto is not figuring in the Spurs set-up at present, as he has been back in training for two or three weeks now. The transfer rumour that emerged the other day has been denied, but if we don't see him over the busy Christmas period then I will be convinced there is a rift between my favourite left back and our head coach.
Will it be a Christmas present for Spurs, or more misery for Villa? That early goal would be key. I fear we might have to settle for another draw, which in the current situation would be very disappointing, but I'll plump for a 2-0 win for Spurs.
The referee for this game is Mark Clattenburg, who has not been in charge of a Spurs game since we lost at QPR in April. He was the fourth official at Old Trafford when we won though!
I wish all readers a very happy and peaceful Christmas!
· On Boxing Day 2002, Spurs drew at home to Charlton (Scott Parker was in the Charlton team, and Steffen Iversen was the "Ghost of Christmas Past" for Spurs)
· On Boxing Day 2002, Villa lost 3-1 at Man City (See what happened in the rest of the Premier Leagaue too).
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