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Spurs v Villa is one of four all-Premier League ties in the FA Cup and the match which features the biggest contrast in current manager approval.
Aston Villa fans are ecstatic with the job Unai Emery is doing at Villa Park this season.
After a slow start, the Villans have surged into third place in the table and are currently eight points ahead of fourth-placed Liverpool after taking 28 points from the last 33 available.
That giddy run is the envy of all those at Tottenham with Thomas Frank under the cosh after a string of poor results.
The Danish boss looks to have aged visibly during an awful run that has seen his side drop to 14th in the table.
Losing in injury-time to Bournemouth in midweek summed it all up and that 3-2 reverse represented an eighth defeat in the last 16 games in all competitions.
Defeat here could be another nail in the coffin for Frank, who has already seen his side lose at home to Villa in the Premier League this season.
How to watch Tottenham v Aston Villa
Tottenham v Aston Villa kicks off at 17.45 GMT on Saturday, January 10 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The game will be shown live on BBC One and TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting from 5pm.
BBC Radio 5 Live will provide full match commentary.
Tottenham team news
Tottenham suffered another injury blow in midweek with the news that Mohammed Kudus is set to be absent until March due to a thigh injury.
That takes more creativity away from a Spurs side still missing long-term absentees Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison.
Midfield pair Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur are both doubts after being taken off in the defeat at Bournemouth.
Frank will likely give a chance to reserve goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky although he must surely be tempted to go fairly strong given that a defeat would really ramp up the pressure on him.
Tottenham expected line-up
(4-2-3-1) Kinsky; Spence, Danso, Van de Ven, Davies; Palhinha, Gray; Kolo Muani, Simons, Tel; Richarlison.
Aston Villa team news
Emery may have wanted to rotate in midfield but his options have been reduced.
Evann Guessand is away at Afcon with the Ivory Coast (they play Egypt on Saturday night) while Amadou Onana has a hamstring problem and Ross Barkley a knee issue.
That said, Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans offer plenty of midfield punch.
Further forward, Emi Buendia could return while Donyell Malen should start in attack, with back-to-form Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers perhaps options from the bench if Villa need something.
Pau Torres could be back in defence but the game may just come too soon for fellow centre-back Tyrone Mings.
Aston Villa expected line-up
(4-2-3-1) Bizot; Garcia, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; McGinn, Buendia, Maatsen; Malen.
Tottenham v Aston Villa stats
– Tottenham have lost two of their last three FA Cup ties against Aston Villa, going out against the Villans in the fourth round last season. The last team to eliminate Spurs from the FA Cup in consecutive seasons were Manchester United in 2007-08/2008-09.
– Aston Villa have already won 2-1 at Tottenham in the Premier League this season. As a top-flight side, the last team they beat twice away from home in a single campaign was Norwich City in 2012-13.
– Tottenham have progressed from 18 of their last 19 FA Cup third round ties, doing so in each of the last 11 campaigns since a 2-0 loss at Arsenal in 2013-14.
– Aston Villa have won their last two FA Cup third round ties, having been eliminated at this stage in each of the seven campaigns before this.
– Morgan Rogers has been involved in five goals in four appearances against Tottenham in all competitions (3 goals, 2 assists), scoring and assisting in Aston Villa’s 2-1 win against them in the FA Cup last season.
Tottenham v Aston Villa predictions
When these two met back in October, Spurs could have gone second with a win.
They were on track to do so until Villa came up with two brilliant second-half goals to steal the points.
That was just Villa’s third league win of the season although even then there were some strong signs that Unai Emery’s side were building up a head of steam.
And with Tottenham’s fans ready to turn against their own team if things go badly here, the scene is set for in-form Villa to leave London with another victory.
The betting is tight but Villa at 8/5 can knock wobbling Spurs out of the FA Cup for the second season running after scoring a 2-1 victory at Villa Park in round four in 2025.
Emi Buendia scored a stunning goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in October, one of five the Argentine star has netted this season.
He’s worth a bet at 4/1 to punish Spurs again.
