Tottenham predicted XI vs Aston Villa… Ange Postecoglou makes three key moves, £27m man gets big chance

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With the Premier League now swiftly returning, Ange Postecoglou has some key decisions to make when Tottenham Hotspur host Aston Villa.

Back to back losses for Tottenham have followed an incredibly unlucky spate of unavailability, which will now linger over the festive period.

James Maddison and Micky van de Ven are the high-profile absentees, however, there’s still cause for optimism.

And we think Postecoglou will now make three changes when Tottenham look to bounce back.

Spurs do have some slight injury worries before Sunday’s top five clash, Destiny Udogie withdrew from the Italy squad before the break owing the muscle injury that stems from a game against Fulham last month.

Moreover, Guglielmo Vicario missed Italy’s game against North Macedonia last week with flu symptoms, despite returning to the bench against Ukraine.

Vicario should seem fine to play, and there also seems to be confidence that Udogie will be fit.

Otherwise, Postecoglou is likely to name an unchanged Tottenham centre-back partnership against Villa, largely due to his lack of alternatives.

Ange Postecoglou may hand Giovani Lo Celso a start for Tottenham against Villa

Midfield is where it gets exciting.

Although Yves Bissouma’s one-game yellow card suspension is pretty untimely, that could pave the way for an exciting new-look Spurs midfield.

Both Rodrigo Bentancur and Giovani Lo Celso could be in line for rare starts.

Bentancur has been slowly building his fitness whilst £27m Lo Celso was quite brilliant for Argentina against Brazil last night.

So whilst the likes of Maddison and Bissouma are a miss, it’s a chance for others to step up.

Postecoglou will surely be excited for Bentancur to get his chance, a player with designs on starting spot even when all are available.

Of course, if either were to remain on the bench, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will likely keep his spot.

In attack, Spurs seem very likely to be unchanged.

Son Heung-Min is still in scintillating form, and Brennan Johnson looks sharp and motivated to make an impression.

Aston Villa will be a firm test for Postecoglou’s Tottenham side, but a win could prove a huge statement after a testing few weeks.