Tim Sherwood returns to Tottenham with Aston Villa vying for win

Aston Villa have enjoyed a revived run since the appointment of Tim Sherwood at the Villa Park helm, with the new manager now focusing on toppling his former club Tottenham at White Hart Lane in a bid to avoid Premier League relegation.

Sherwood’s Villans are 5/1 to secure a victory on the former Spurs boss’ old stomping ground, having previously led his new side to three consecutive victories over fellow top-flight strugglers Sunderland and a double cup and league triumph against West Bromwich Albion.

However, since those encouraging triumphs, Villa have suffered back-to-back defeats to Swansea City and Manchester United, while the West Midlands club could only secure a thrilling draw against fellow relegation battlers QPR.

Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino’s London outfit (23/10 to win and both teams to score) have slipped further behind in the race for a top four finish this term, having had an inconsistent spell in recent weeks.

The Londoners lost heavily to the Red Devils in a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford last month and also fell short at Anfield in a 3-2 loss to Liverpool, a couple of poor results against fellow Champions League hopefuls.

Earlier in the season, when Paul Lambert was still in charge at Villa, Tottenham dramatically snatched a triumph thanks to a 90th-minute strike from recent England international debutant Harry Kane. The in-form forward is a 3/1 chance to strike the game’s last goal again at White Hart Lane, after firing in an incredible 30 goals for club and country in all senior competitions already this current campaign.

Villa’s ferocious frontman Christian Benteke has rediscovered his rampant goalscoring form of old, with Sherwood bringing out the best in the Belgium international. The Villans sharpshooter, who was sent off in the reverse fixture, has been highlighted as the club’s main hope of securing top-flight survival this season by his confident boss, and he is a 2/1 chance to net anytime in London.

Benteke’s international teammate Nacer Chadli has scored in this fixture in two consecutive seasons since arriving at Villa Park from Eredivisie outfit FC Twente in 2013. The tricky wideman is also available at 2/1 to net anytime in his latest outing.

With Sherwood aiming to steer his new side clear of a daunting drop to the Championship and Pochettino hoping his men can still stay on course for a European place, White Hart Lane is set to host a thrilling top-flight encounter.