Half a billion pounds spent between them, a solitary Premier League goal scored between them — Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa meet at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday in a fixture that neither side can afford to lose.

Both clubs sit in the bottom four of the Premier League table after four matches, carrying the unwanted distinction of being the past two UEFA Europa League winners yet struggling for basic momentum in the top flight.

Emery's reset under pressure

Aston Villa have invested more than £250 million across 10 new signings this summer, while simultaneously selling key figures including Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins. Manager Unai Emery is effectively building a new squad from scratch while trying to compete at the highest level.

After last Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Nottingham Forest — in which Alysson's header provided Villa's only Premier League goal of the season — Emery admitted he could not fully explain how his side lost control of the match. He acknowledges that so many unfamiliar players fitting into a new system makes intervention from the technical area difficult.

Yet those who know Emery describe a coach who, however animated on the touchline, is composed and measured the moment he addresses his players in the dressing room. His record at Villa — transforming a mid-table side into UEFA Europa League winners and returning them to the UEFA Champions League — gives him considerable goodwill.

He is leaning on senior figures John McGinn and Tyrone Mings to stabilise the group through this difficult opening period, which is why both featured in Wednesday's Carabao Cup win at Coventry rather than being rested.

McGinn has spoken previously of needing to do