Muhammad Awwal AbubakarUnai Emery has acknowledged that Tottenham Hotspur are “favourites” to finish above his Aston Villa side, attributing this status to their larger financial resources.
The two teams are set to clash in the Premier League on Sunday, with Villa currently occupying fourth place and holding a five-point lead over Spurs.
Despite Villa’s recent successes, having finished above Tottenham in the last two seasons, Emery is pragmatic about the challenges ahead.
“They are the favourites in front of us for the season and favourites for the match on Sunday,” he stated during a press conference on Friday.
However, he also emphasized his team’s determination to compete, saying, “But we are competing and we are being confident in how we are doing our way.”
Emery outlined Villa’s ambition to be among the top contenders, mentioning clubs like Tottenham, Chelsea, and Newcastle. “We are trying to be contenders with those teams… it is a really great match,” he added.
The Villa boss noted the broader context of the league, highlighting that several teams possess greater financial clout.
“I have to tell everybody, there are another seven teams in front of us in the beginning, with the budget,” he remarked, underscoring the financial disparities in the league.
Nonetheless, he believes Villa has made significant progress over the past two years, stating, “we are progressively getting better and keeping the same level we are trying to set as a target.”
Tottenham, under the management of Ange Postecoglou, heads into the match following a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the League Cup.
This win marked a recovery after a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, but Postecoglou is acutely aware of the need for consistency.
“In the league we have had some disappointing results but really only one disappointing performance and that was the Palace game. It wasn’t a great performance and we got what we deserved,” he said.
The Spurs manager is optimistic about the team’s growth, stating, “We continue to evolve, learn from that and when we have had disappointments, we bounce back straight away, which I think is important.”
He acknowledged that the journey may not always be straightforward, insisting, “It is part of the evolution of the team.
It is not going to be a smooth ride but within that we don’t want there to be too many times when we are not playing the football we want to.”
In a rather philosophical take, Postecoglou advised his players, “If you want to grow a beautiful garden you have to handle some fertiliser. That is the only way it will happen.”
As for team news, Spurs captain Son Heung-min, who has missed three of the last four Premier League matches due to injury, returned to training on Friday. Postecoglou expressed optimism about Son’s fitness, saying, “Son has trained today. If he gets through training tomorrow, he should be OK.”
However, the manager confirmed that defender Micky van de Ven will be sidelined due to a hamstring injury but is expected to return after the upcoming international break.
Muhammad Awwal Abubakar
