Tottenham have won their last two meetings with Aston Villa, despite losing three on the spin beforehand, with Spurs also winning nine of their last ten trips to Villa Park, losing only one of their last 14 outings there.
Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur Preview
Tottenham had three opportunities to end their 17-year trophy draught, that is now down to two, so another cup exit in the Midlands on Sunday would be hugely damaging.
On Thursday night, despite being 1-0 up from the first leg, Spurs' EFL Cup semi-final against Liverpool was only going to produce one outcome, steamrollered 4-0 at Anfield.
Given that Ange Postecoglou's team are currently 14th in the Premier League, last Sunday's 2-0 victory at Brentford ending a seven-match winless run, in which they lost six times, the primary factor keeping the Aussie in a job is the belief that he can deliver silverware.
Well, Spurs are through to the Europa League round of 16, but that would be their only avenue to success, should they suffer defeat at Villa Park come Sunday evening.
As for Aston Villa, it's 29 years since they last captured major silverware, while the seven-time winners of this competition haven't hoisted aloft the famous old trophy since 1957.
Last month, the Villans began their quest to change those facts with a redeeming Friday night victory over West Ham, in which Amadou Onana equalised from close-range before Morgan Rogers poked home the winner shortly after.
More recently, Unai Emery's team have also reached the Champions League round of 16, thanks to a 4-2 home win over Celtic, set to face one of Atalanta, Dortmund, Sporting or Brugge in early March.
Despite this, the Claret and Blue Army's recent league form is far from impressive, beaten 2-0 at Wolves last weekend, meaning they're without a win in three, claiming victory from just one of their last eight on the road.
Nevertheless, Villa are still determined to progress in the FA Cup, so will they book their place in round five with victory over Spurs?
Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur Head-to-Head Record
- Matches Played: 175
- Aston Villa Wins: 60. Draws: 36. Tottenham Hotspur Wins: 79.
Aston Villa Team News
Aston Villa were busier than most during the January transfer window, meaning new recruits Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio could both debut here, while Axel Disasi cannot just yet as he's cup-tied.
Reinforcements were required, given that Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings, Matty Cash and Ross Barkley are injured, while Ollie Watkins is a doubt, having been withdrawn at halftime last weekend. Due to the lack of defensive options, Boubacar Kamara could continue to fill in at centre-back, although fit-again Amadou Onana is likely to replace Lamare Bogarde at the base of midfield.
Having come off the bench during the last two matches, Donyell Malen could start in claret and blue for the very first time, while Robin Olsen will be hoping for a rare start in goal, as he enjoyed in round three.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Tottenham Hotspur: (4-2-2-2): Olsen; García, Konsa, Kamara, Maatsen; Onana, Tielemans, Asensio, Rogers; Rashford, Malen.
Aston Villa Player to Watch vs Tottenham Hotspur
Marcus Rashford will be hoping to make his Aston Villa debut, a weird parallel universe we're now living in. He has nine FA Cup goals to his name, as well as two winners' medals, while he's previously netted on six occasions against Spurs, only scoring against Man City and Liverpool more frequently.
Tottenham Hotspur Team News
The visitors are still without Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert, Timo Werner, Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke, while Radu Drăgușin will be lucky to feature again in 2025, having ruptured his ACL against Elfsborg.
In that same Europa League match ten days ago, Micky van de Ven made his long-awaited return, getting 45 minutes into his legs, but has not been seen since, and there's little information available as to why.
Thus, reinforcements were needed and they belated arrived, with Kevin Danso thrown straight in for his debut at Anfield, while fellow new signing Mathys Tel was introduced shortly before half time against Liverpool, after Richarlison hobbled down the tunnel, joining the ever-increasing number of absentees.
Sergio Reguilón and Mikey Moore both started as Spurs required extra time to overcome Tamworth in round three, but surely Ange Postecoglou will go full strength for this one, not that he has many options from which to choose.
Tottenham Hotspur predicted lineup vs Aston Villa: (4-3-3): Kinský; Porro, Danso, Gray, Spence; Bentancur, Bissouma, Bergvall; Kuluševski, Son Heung-min, Tel.
Tottenham Hotspur Player to Watch vs Aston Villa
Son Heung-min has ten goals to his name this season, while he has previously netted seven times against Aston Villa, six of which have come at Villa Park, so can he fire Spurs through to round five?
Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction
We are very confidently forecasting an Aston Villa victory from this tie. Unai Emery's team have had a over a week to prepare, while Spurs endured an energy-sapping, confidence-shattering defeat as recently as Thursday, so we can't see beyond a home win: Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur.
Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur FAQs - FA Cup
How to watch Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup game on TV channel?
Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: BBC1
- USA: ESPN+
- Canada: Sportsnet World Now
How to watch Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup game on live streaming?
Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: BBC iPlayer
- USA: ESPN+
- Canada: Sportsnet World Now
What is the date and kick-off time for Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup?
Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur takes place on Sunday 9 February 2025, with kick off at 17:35 (GMT), 12:35 (EDT) & 9:35 (PST).