This update brings our build-up to Tottenham Hotspur’s clash with Aston Villa up to date as of 28 September 2026. The core problem for Spurs has not changed: they are still hunting their first Premier League win of the season. Anyone typing in a tottenham hotspur vs aston villa prediction this week will find pundits circling the same worry, and former striker Chris Sutton has now put a scoreline on it.
Updated position ahead of Premier League clash
Tottenham Hotspur host Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium still chasing that elusive opening league victory. It is an unusual position for a club that spent heavily over the summer, and the pressure on Roberto De Zerbi has only grown.
Villa arrive with an identical problem. They too are winless in the Premier League this campaign, which makes this fixture a genuine relegation-six-pointer in all but name, despite being only a few weeks into the season.
Spurs go into the weekend still processing the Carabao Cup exit against Liverpool, a 3-1 defeat that has added to the sense of a difficult opening month.
Chris Sutton predicts 2-1 Aston Villa victory over Tottenham Hotspur
Writing in his weekly predictions column for BBC Sport, Chris Sutton has backed Aston Villa to win 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. His reasoning centres on Villa’s attacking threat rather than any collapse from Spurs.
“They are also without a league win, but they look more likely to score goals, as they showed against Coventry in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday,” Sutton said.
He pointed to Villa’s response to a similarly slow start last season as the basis for his confidence. “I am expecting Villa to improve the same way they did after not winning any of their first five games last season, and I can see them edging this,” Sutton added.
Sutton did give Spurs some credit going forward, but not much. “Do I give Spurs their first league goal of the season? Yes, but only one. They are due a deflection, or Villa will score an own goal. Something will go for them, but not the result,” he said.
De Zerbi under scrutiny after poor start and Carabao Cup exit
Sutton was clear that Unai Emery and Roberto De Zerbi are being judged differently, even though both managers lead winless league sides. He acknowledged De Zerbi’s track record before turning to the lack of progress at Spurs.
“Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi has this reputation of being a great coach, and we saw what a good job he did at Brighton,” Sutton said. Supporters familiar with De Zerbi’s management style will recognise the comparison to his Brighton years.
That reputation, Sutton argued, is not translating into results at Tottenham. “But we have not seen any improvement from Spurs yet, despite the big money they have spent, and he is surely going to come under pressure soon if their poor results continue,” he said.
Sutton also questioned why other clubs that rebuilt their squads are faring better. “Other clubs, like Hull and Ipswich, have brought plenty of players in and are doing well enough, so why aren’t Spurs?” he said. He was sceptical of patience being the answer. “He keeps saying they need time, but he has had long enough for their results to be much better already,” Sutton added, before summing up his verdict: “I think De Zerbi has to come under scrutiny, but it is different with Unai Emery at Aston Villa.”
Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa prediction: Sutton sees 2-1 away win
The tottenham hotspur vs aston villa prediction from Chris Sutton is a 2-1 win for Aston Villa, made in his column for Chris Sutton on BBC Sport. He expects Spurs to score for the first time in the league this season, but not enough to avoid defeat.
His view rests on Villa’s improving attack rather than any dramatic upturn at Spurs, and on De Zerbi facing questions that Emery, in Sutton’s assessment, currently does not. “They are not the only ones to revamp their squad but if you listen to De Zerbi, after about five years they might come good,” Sutton said, a line that captures his patience running thin with the Spurs project.
What happens next
The fixture will settle nothing about the wider questions Sutton has raised, but a result either way will shape the mood around both clubs heading into October. A win would ease the pressure building on De Zerbi, while another defeat would sharpen the scrutiny Sutton believes is already overdue.
