Villa to provide a tough test for Tottenham
Tottenham take on Aston Villa in their opening Premier League game of 2019-20. This is a fixture that should always be in the Premier League and it is good to see Villa back amongst the elite. Will they have enough to cause an opening day shock? Have a read of our preview here:
All change at Villa Park
It has been a summer of upheaval at Villa and, in truth, it needed to be. Dean Smith had worked wonders to get his boyhood club promoted last season but there was not enough quality in the side to compete in the Premier League.
This is something the hierarchy were clearly aware of and they wasted no time bringing in the new recruits.
So far, Villa have signed 13 new players and spent well over £100 million in doing so. The standout buys are certainly being recognised as Tyrone Mings from Bournemouth for £26.5 million and the Brazilian forward Wesley from Club Brugge for £22 million but there are some other shrewd purchases in there.
Ezri Konsa was excellent for Brentford and he arrives for £12 million while Tom Heaton should be a superb number one in net after signing from Burnley for £8 million.
This squad is being readied to compete and Dean Smith will be immensely proud at what he has achieved in such a short space of time. The only concern will be how quickly this new-look squad can gel, but it promises to be an exciting season at Villa Park.
Spurs showing some ambition at last?
Reaching the Champions League final was a superb achievement for Tottenham last season and they have got to kick on now and make the most of that momentum.
Signing Tanguy Ndombele for a club-record £55m from Lyon certainly shows some intent but a couple more new faces will be needed if they are to improve on last season’s fourth-place finish.
The problem for Pochettino always appears to be a lack of depth, especially compared to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City. It is hard for them to compete with the budgets but with Eriksen likely to leave, there could be some cash to splash before the window slams shut.
Villa will be an interesting test and a marker for what both clubs can achieve in the coming campaign.
Tottenham vs Aston Villa betting tip
There are a lot of talented players in both squads and despite Spurs clearly being a step or two ahead of the newly promoted Villans, it is hard to see them not at least threatening on their return to the Premier League. That’s why backing both teams to score at odds of 5/4 appears to have some real value.
