Tottenham host Aston Villa with recent head-to-head record finely balanced
Tottenham take on Aston Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on matchday five of the Premier League, a fixture that has swung back and forth in recent meetings between the two clubs.
Villa have won three of the last five meetings between the sides, including victories in both the FA Cup and league fixture last season, but Tottenham's most recent win came in the reverse league fixture in May, when they came from behind on the road to win 2-1.
Form check
Neither side arrives with much momentum. Tottenham's last five games have produced one win, two draws and two defeats, while Villa have managed just one win in the same span, with three defeats, including their most recent outing.
With both teams level on a single win apiece across their recent runs, there is little separating them on current form heading into this London meeting.
History of tight contests
The head-to-head has been settled by fine margins in four of the last five encounters, with three of those finishing by a single goal. Only Villa's 2-0 win at home last May came with any real breathing space.
That pattern of narrow outcomes, combined with the current form lines, suggests another close contest between two sides searching for consistency in the early weeks of the campaign.