- Aston Villa host Tottenham on Sunday night for a 19:00 kick-off UK time
- Sam Barrott has been appointed referee for the match
- A win for Villa would all but confirm Champions League qualification
Aston Villa will welcome Tottenham to Villa Park on Sunday night in matchday 35 of the Premier League. Both teams go into the match with a lot at stake, as Villa look to qualify for the Champions League, whilst Roberto De Zerbi’s side are in the midst of a relegation battle.
The Villans were narrowly beaten in their previous outing on Thursday night. A Lucas Digne handball gave Nottingham Forest a penalty, which Chris Wood tucked away. It was the main difference between the two teams, as Forest now take a one-goal lead into the second leg of the Europa League semi-final.
It was a second defeat in two games for Unai Emery’s side, with a lack of attacking quality the concern as they head into Sunday’s fixture.
As their attention now turns back to the league, they are still in a strong position to qualify for Europe’s elite competition. Currently, they find themselves in fifth level on 58 points with Liverpool in fourth. Brighton are eight points behind them in sixth, and Bournemouth are nine points back in seventh.
This means a win on Sunday would confirm a top-five finish if both Brighton and Bournemouth lose.
Meanwhile, Tottenham earned their first league win of the year last weekend, edging past Wolves 1-0. With West Ham and Nottingham Forest also winning, they remain in 18th place on 34 points, just two points adrift from safety.
In the reverse fixture between the two sides, it was Villa who were victorious. Goals by Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia gave them a 2-1 win after Rodrigo Bentancur’s early opener.
Let’s take a look at the match officials for Aston Villa vs Tottenham.
Who is the referee for Aston Villa vs Tottenham?
Sam Barrott has been appointed referee for the fixture. He officiated both of Villa’s games against Sunderland this season.
The most recent was just two weeks ago, when a late winner by Tammy Abraham gave the Villans a 4-3 win over the Black Cats.
In the earlier encounter, Matty Cash scored Villa’s first goal of the campaign in a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light.
Sam Barrott record against Aston Villa
| Matches | Villa wins | Draws | Villa defeats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
Sam Barrott record against Tottenham
| Matches | Villa wins | Draws | Villa defeats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Who are the assistant referees and VAR?
Barrott’s assistants will be Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn, with Michael Salisbury as the fourth official.
At Stockley Park, Tony Harrington will be on VAR duty, alongside Dan Robathan as his assistant.
