Aston Villa will learn closer to kick-off whether Sandro Tonali and Pedro Porro are available for Tottenham Hotspur when the sides meet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday. According to Sports Mole, both players are being assessed ahead of the lunchtime Premier League fixture after missing recent matches through injury.
Tonali sat out the midweek EFL Cup defeat to Liverpool with a knock, though Roberto De Zerbi indicated earlier this week that the midfielder could feature against Villa. Porro has been absent since a muscle complaint forced him out of the goalless draw with Everton and is also awaiting clearance to play.
Beyond those two doubts, Tottenham have several longer-term absentees. Mykhaylo Mudryk, currently on loan from Chelsea, suffered an ankle problem in training that is expected to keep him out until early November. Xavi Simons remains sidelined following the anterior cruciate ligament injury he sustained in April, while Wilson Odobert continues his own recovery from knee ligament damage.
Dejan Kulusevski has been out of action for sixteen months and was recently left out of Sweden's international squad. Although he is close to returning, De Zerbi has noted a minor setback that delays his comeback further. No Tottenham players are suspended for the weekend.
Unai Emery's side head into the game sitting second bottom of the Premier League table. Villa ended a run without scoring during last weekend's 2-1 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, but they have yet to find consistency in the opening weeks of the campaign.
Before travelling to north London, Villa face Coventry City in the League Cup on Wednesday evening at the Coventry Building Society Arena. The Tottenham match follows three days later, with kick-off scheduled for 12:30 UK time.
