Story byMatty FlattSat, January 10, 2026 at 2:45 PM UTC·3 min readThe early rounds of the FA Cup. A great occasion for aspiring lower league teams to face up to Premier League giants and dream; and usually a fantastic chance for tiring Premier League sides to rotate their sides and promote up-and-coming talent from the wider squad. What do you mean, Tottenham Hotspur have been drawn against another Premier League side?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThat’s right, against all odds Spurs have unfortunately been handed the very tough assignment of Aston Villa if they want to progress to the next round. It couldn’t have come at a worse possible time, either: more injuries eventuated during the course of Spurs’ loss to Bournemouth in midweek, with Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall the latest to be added to the casualty list, while captain Cristian Romero has been bizarrely suspended by the FA for a match. All this against a team flying high in the league, with Villa currently third on the table.