It’s the moment every Premier League fan has been waiting for, the summer transfer window is coming to a close and the 2019/2020 campaign will finally be underway! Tottenham Hotspur take on Aston Villa on Saturday, August 10th at 12:30 PM EST at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

 

There are still question marks for Tottenham on who will start this weekend as transfer rumors loom over the likes of Christian Eriksen, Danny Rose, and Toby Alderweireld. Tottenham also have injury worries and suspensions that will keep the likes of Son (suspended), Dele Alli (hamstring), and Juan Foyth (ankle) on the sidelines. Late deals for the likes of Bruno Fernades, Giovoni Lo Celso, and Ryan Sessegnon could still get over the line before the transfer window comes to a close on Thursday August 8th, but none of these players would likely feature in Saturday’s fixture. 

 

Likely Line-up: Tottenham 4-2-3-1

 

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris 

Defenders: Kyle Walker Peters, Jan Vertongen, Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose

Midfielders: Harry Winks, Tanguy NDombele, Moussa Sissoko, Erik Lamela, Lucas Moura

Forward: Harry Kane

 

The midfield for Tottenham is a little shaky due to Alli and Son being unavailable and I firmly believe that Eriksen will either be sold before the game or among the substitutes if he stays. We could see Sissoko and NDombele interchange roles throughout the run of play and an ever changing diamond shape behind Kane. Lucas Morua and Harry Kane looked sharp in preseason and I hope that Lamela can carry on and stay healthy for a full season. 

 

Likely Line-Up: Aston Villa 4-2-3-1

 

Goalkeeper: Tom Heaton

Defenders: Frederic Guilbert, Bjorn Engels , Tyrone Mings, Matt Targett

Midfielders: John McGinn, Conor Hourihane, Jota, Jack Grealish, Anwar El Ghazi

Forward: Wesley

 

Aston Villa have splashed the cash this summer (£133.5m) upon their promotion into the Premier League and a few of their new signings will be thrust straight into the starting 11. Jack Grealish, once sought after by Spurs, will ultimately be the driving force behind Villa’s attack and all eyes will be on the new big-money striker Wesley. Villa have quite an up-hill battle ahead of them but could cause a problem for a Spurs side that is without some of its most creative talent.

 

Draft Fantasy Players to Watch

 

In no particular order I believe that these are the players to keep an eye out going into GW 1. 

TOT: Kane (£82m), Moura (£9m), Lamela (£2m), Kyle Walker-Peters (£2m)

AVL: Grealish (£6m), Wesley (£6m)

Prices are based on the average of Draft Fantasy’s Auction Drafts

 

I would consider captaining or at least assistant captaining Kane for this game due to the lack of attacking players at Tottenham’s disposal. If you want to save money on a striker to afford more quality midfielders consider taking Lucas Moura or Erik Lamela to still have a Tottenham representative for GW1. There are better options than Grealish and Wesley at £6.0m each on GW1 but I do believe they will knick at least one goal against Spurs.

 

Predicted Result

 

Tottenham start the season with a win at home and all 3 points while also putting multiple goals past Aston Villa. Don’t expect Villa to go down without a fight, I believe they knick a goal against Spurs but don’t quite match up in terms of quality.

 

 

Written by Nate Crooks, Follow on Twitter @NCrooks11