Tottenham host Aston Villa in Premier League clash as both sides chase first win

Goal drought and tactical adjustments

Tottenham Hotspur host Aston Villa on Saturday with both clubs searching for their first Premier League victory of the season. Spurs enter the fixture having failed to score in their opening four league matches, recording two draws and two defeats. Following consecutive goalless draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton, head coach Roberto De Zerbi assigned his squad analysis homework focused on positioning, reaction speed, and decision-making in the attacking third. Tottenham recorded 34 shots across their first four league fixtures. Only Villa have taken fewer shots across the division, registering 25 attempts in their opening four games.

Both sides sit at the bottom of the division for underlying attacking output, ranking 19th and 20th in expected goals. Spurs have generated 3.45 expected goals, while Villa sit last with 3.39 expected goals. Furthermore, Tottenham rank bottom in the league for expected goals per shot at 0.07, while Villa have registered 62 touches in the opposition penalty area.

Squad fitness and returning starters

Tottenham receive an availability boost ahead of Saturday with Pedro Porro, Sandro Tonali, and James Maddison returning to contention. Tonali and Porro missed Tuesday's 3-1 Carabao Cup third-round defeat against Liverpool at Anfield, while Maddison has made substitute appearances following a shoulder problem sustained against Brentford. De Zerbi confirmed the readiness of all three players during his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Porro, Tonali, and Maddison are all available to play. Normally, we have to understand the situation in terms of physical condition, but all of them are ready.

The manager noted that Maddison requires additional training time before reaching optimal physical condition.

Listen, James is working with the team the last 10, 15 days, maybe less than 15 days. And even if he is a technical player, he needs to be fit, to stay in a good condition. When he arrives to the best condition, it's very important for us as a personality, as a characteristic, as a quality, as an experience. The quality of his passes are different than the others.

Dejan Kulusevski has also returned to team training after nearly 500 days on the sidelines with a right knee patella injury. Several other Tottenham players remain sidelined, including Mykhailo Mudryk, Wilson Odobert, and Xavi Simons.

Emery seeks turnaround after mixed cup form

Aston Villa travel to London occupying 19th place with one point from four league matches. While Unai Emery's side won 3-2 away at Club Brugge in the Champions League and defeated Coventry 3-1 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, their domestic league form shows three defeats and one draw. Villa's only Premier League goal this term came from substitute Alysson during a 2-1 home loss to Nottingham Forest. Emery contends with significant squad absences for the trip to north London. Goalkeeper Marco Bizot and midfielder Joao Gomes remain doubtful, while Leon Madjo, Leon Goretzka, Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen, and Pau Torres are ruled out through injury.

Head-to-head record and historical patterns

History indicates that a decisive result is probable on Saturday afternoon. None of the last 22 Premier League meetings between Tottenham and Aston Villa have ended in a draw, with the last drawn fixture occurring in May 2012. Villa have won four of their last six league visits to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, including a 2-1 victory during the previous campaign. Attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia has been directly involved in four career Premier League goals against Spurs, scoring three times and providing one assist. Referee Sam Barrott will take charge of the match, scheduled for a 12:30 kickoff on TNT Sports 1.