Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa - Match Preview

Harry Redknapp will return to the Tottenham dugout this evening for the first time since undergoing minor heart surgery over two weeks ago. The return of their manager will be a welcome boost for Spurs, although probably not a necessary one, as the North London side have been in excellent form this season. They are currently on an unbeaten run that has seen them pick up 22 points from a possible 24. Redknapp€™s men will be looking to keep up the pressure on the clubs around them in the table after defeats for Newcastle United and Chelsea this weekend. A win would see them move up into third place with one game in hand. Add Tottenham€™s current form to Aston Villa€™s dreadful record at White Hart Lane of one victory in a decade and this evening€™s game is starting to look a little too predictable. That solitary win came back in September 2008 with a 2-1 victory in a game that saw current Villa striker Darren Bent score for Tottenham. Bent will be hoping to add to his impressive record against his former club, which has seen him score four times in six matches. Bent isn€™t the only player facing his former club, though. Brad Friedel comes up against the side he left to join Spurs in the summer, Alan Hutton made the opposite move and Kyle Walker faces the team he joined on loan last term. Although Villa lie in eighth place in the league, Alex McLeish will be very wary that his side must take on Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea before the year is out. Not only that but Villa are in fact just 6 points off the relegation zone, which is one less than the gap between themselves and Arsenal who lie just one place above them in the table. With all that in mind McLeish will be hoping his side can take something out of the game, although the midlands club haven€™t won a league game on the road this season. Spurs won 2-1 both home and away against Villa last season, with Rafael van der Vaart netting twice on both occasions, and Marc Albrighten scoring both Villa goals.

Team News

Tottenham will be particularly keen to have van der Vaart back from a hamstring injury given his form against tonight€™s opponents last year. Vedran Corluka should be available after overcoming an ankle injury, but Englishmen Tom Huddlestone (ankle) and Michael Dawson (Achilles) are still injured. Villa€™s on-form striker, Gabriel Agbonlahor, has been training again after the hamstring injury he obtained while on England duty last week and could feature. Captain Stiliyan Petrov is available after a hamstring problem, but Jermaine Jenas is not able to play against his parent club due to the terms of his loan deal.

Possible Line-ups:

Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, King, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Parker, Modric, Bale, Van der Vaart, Adebayor. Aston Villa: Given, Hutton, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Albrighton, Petrov, Delph, N€™Zogbia, Agbonlahor, Bent. Prediction: 2-1 €“ It€™s hard to look past the results of last season. I fancy a Bent goal though. Today's match preview was brought to you in association with Bingo Deposit Bonus.