Aston Vila manager Tim Sherwood will be hoping he can gain a crucial three points on his first return to White Hart Lane when they take on Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.
Tottenham’s chances of gaining Champions League football seem to have slipped away for another season after their 0-0 draw with Burnley last Sunday which left them seven points adrift of champions Manchester City with as many games remaining.
There is still a possibility of reaching the Europa League as they currently sit behind fifth placed Liverpool on goal difference and with four wins in the last five at home, they could jump above Brendan Rodgers side who play Newcastle on Monday night.
Sherwood will be hoping that his side can produce a performance that will show his former employers what they missed out on, the 46-year-old was sacked at the end of last season after leading Spurs to sixth position. His start at Villa was bright with a 4-0 demolition of fellow strugglers Sunderland been the highlight, but their defeats to Newcastle and Manchester United left them on the brink of the relegation zone.
A Christian Benteke hat-trick on Tuesday night rescued a crucial point against QPR in their thrilling 3-3 draw which left them three points above the drop zone rather than just the one without the Belgians contribution. Their recent record against their opponents will not fill them with confidence as they have failed to win against Tottenham since 2008.
Kyle Walker will be sitting out of this game after he was forced off seconds into the second half against Burnley after he picked up a foot injury before the break, another big blow is the continued absence of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris who is expected to be missing on Saturday.
Ashley Westwood, Alan Hutton and Scott Sinclair all joined Villa’s ever increasing injury list last week and are major doubts for trip to North London, they joined the likes of; Chris Herd, Libor Kozak, Aly Cissokho and Phillippe Senderos on the side-lines. A boost for Sherwood was the return of Ron Vlaar and Kieran Richardson in midweek.