Tottenham vs Aston Villa, FA Cup, 3rd round match: Preview, when and where to watch in India?
Spurs, struggling in the Premier League under manager Thomas Frank, view the cup as their only hope for silverware while Unai Emery's Villa, currently third in the league, holds a psychological edge.
Last Updated: 09.44 PM, Jan 09, 2026
The magic of the FA Cup will arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium today as Tottenham Hotspur hosts Aston Villa in a blockbuster all-Premier League third-round tie. For the home side, this match will effectively become the defining moment of their season. Languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League and reeling from a chaotic mid-week defeat, Spurs see the FA Cup as their last realistic path to silverware, and perhaps the only way for manager Thomas Frank to silence a growing chorus of critics.
Match details
Match: Tottenham vs Aston Villa, FA Cup, 3rd round match
Dates: Saturday, January 10, 2026.
Venue: 11.25 PM IST
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Where can I watch the Tottenham vs Aston Villa, FA Cup, 3rd round match online?
Football fans in India can watch the Tottenham vs Aston Villa, FA Cup, 3rd round match on SonyLIV via OTTplay Premium.
Head-to-head stats
While Spurs lead the historical record, recent history paints a much darker picture for the Lilywhites.
Aston Villa has won six of their last eight meetings against Tottenham across all competitions. tactical depth of both rosters.
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Preview
Tottenham enters 2026 in a state of turmoil. A 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth on Wednesday, marked by a 95th-minute winner and a controversial post-match image of Frank with an Arsenal-branded coffee cup, has left the club 14th in the table.
In contrast, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are high-fliers, currently sitting 3rd in the Premier League and hunting for their first FA Cup trophy since 1957.
This is a repeat of last season's fourth-round clash, where Villa emerged as 2-1 winners. With Villa already having beaten Spurs in North London this season (2-1 in October), the psychological edge firmly belongs to the visitors.
Team News
Both managers are dealing with significant absentees that will force tactical adjustments.
The injury list is equally daunting: Mohammed Kudus (quad), Rodrigo Bentancur (hamstring), and Dominic Solanke remain out. Lucas Bergvall is a major doubt after limping off against Bournemouth, potentially clearing the way for Archie Gray to start in midfield.
Midfielders Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley remain sidelined, while Evann Guessand is away on AFCON duty with the Ivory Coast. January signing Alysson could make his debut if passed fit.
Tactical outlook
Thomas Frank is expected to hand a rare start to backup goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky and may recall Richarlison to lead the line after Randal Kolo Muani’s struggles.
For Villa, the focus will be on Morgan Rogers, who has become a "Spurs specialist" with five goal involvements in his last four games against them.
If Spurs cannot fix a backline that has conceded nine goals in six games, the pace of Ollie Watkins and the creativity of Youri Tielemans could make it another long night for the Tottenham faithful.