Tottenham vs Aston Villa 21/10 Bet Builder – Mark O’Haire
An all-Premier League affair sees Tottenham and Aston Villa cross swords on Saturday evening in the FA Cup third round. Neither side managed to win in their midweek matches, though Spurs’ loss at Bournemouth has piled the pressure on Thomas Frank with his team falling to 14th in the top-flight table.
Having been held to draws by Sunderland and Brentford in their previous two fixtures, Frank and Spurs will no doubt be eager to pick up a much-needed victory here. The hosts have progressed from 18 of their last 19 FA Cup third round ties, although Aston Villa did dump Tottenham out of this competition at the fourth-round stage last term.
Villa look to extend their remarkable run that dates back to late September – Unai Emery’s team started the season winless in six but have since returned W18-D1-L3 across all competitions and despite expected changes to their starting XI here, the Villains look interesting outsiders from a betting perspective.
Double Chance – Aston Villa or Draw
Tottenham have registered just four home league victories in 25 going back to November 2024 – the hosts have also managed only four clean sheets in 44 home outings since October 2023. Having only beaten Brentford and Burnley here under Frank and losing six of their last eight against Aston Villa, Spurs are easily opposed.
Both Teams to Score – Yes
Six of Tottenham’s previous eight Premier League matches in front of their own supporters have paid out for Both Teams to Score backers, including the October encounter against Aston Villa. The Villains have followed suit in 10 of their last 12 across all competitions, with 10 of their past 12 away days also delivering Both Teams to Score winners.
Team Cards –
Each Team Under 3.5
Cards traditionally drop-off in cup competitions and the FA Cup is no different. Across the past five seasons, third round fixtures have averaged just 2.82 cards per-game with 69% of showdowns seeing Under 3.5 Cards bank with 80% seeing fewer than five cautions. Referee Craig Pawson has gone Under 4.5 Cards in 12 out of 13 outings this season.
