Tottenham have a stronger chance of finishing in the top four this season than Aston Villa, according to Unai Emery. Currently five points ahead of Spurs in the table, Villa prepare to visit north London on Sunday, having made a promising start to the 2024/2025 campaign.
Despite finishing higher than Spurs in the league standings for the past two seasons, Emery cited Tottenham's financial capabilities as a key factor contributing to their status as favourites for the match and to finish higher in the league. “We have now some advantage in the table, but of course after the match on Sunday, it could be different. Hopefully, we can compete and keep our competitive way,” Emery said, emphasising his team’s readiness for the challenge.
“They are the favourites in front of us for the season and favourites for the match on Sunday,” he remarked, highlighting the competitive nature of matches against teams with substantial budgets. According to a report from Yahoo! Sport, Emery noted, “We are trying to be contenders with those teams like Tottenham, or Chelsea or Newcastle, to compete with them in the top seven, top six."
“They are contenders more than us; we have some advantage on the table but after the match on Sunday, it could be different.” The Villa squad remains relatively fit, with midfielder Ross Barkley being the only absentee due to a minor injury that will keep him out until after the next international break. Emery confirmed, “We only had one injured player, who is Ross Barkley. He has a small injury. He’s not available for the next two weeks.”