Aston Villa v Tottenham: Lambert longs for elusive goal

Aston Villa will not have scored a goal for 48 days by the time they host Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday.

Gabriel Agbonlahor’s strike to beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield on September 13 was the last time Villa found the net – Paul Lambert’s men having endured more than 500 minutes of goalless top-flight football since.

Villa’s drought is currently 308 minutes short of Crystal Palace’s Premier League record, but Lambert is confident his side can break their duck sooner rather than later.

However, the Scot is well aware of the threat posed by this weekend’s visitors to Villa Park.

“Not scoring goals has hurt us, but it will come,” said Lambert. “Tottenham are not hitting the heights of what they expect, but they are still a really good side.

“They were up there last year in the top bracket and I’m under no illusions how tough it will be.”

Like Villa, things have not been going to plan for Tottenham, having picked up just one win from their last seven league fixtures.

The latest defeat came at the hands of Newcastle United on Sunday, when Spurs squandered a 1-0 half-time lead to eventually lose 2-1.

A 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion in the League Cup fourth round on Wednesday served as something of a confidence boost, but head coach Mauricio Pochettino is keen to see his side’s league form improve.

“It was an important result against Brighton to recover our confidence and belief,” he told the club’s website. “We wanted to get into the next round of the Capital One Cup and now we all look forward to Aston Villa.

“We played well for the first 45 minutes against Newcastle, but we had a lack of concentration at the beginning of the second half and that changed the game. After that, it was difficult.

“It’s important that the players realise the situation and what we need to improve. It’s always good to be honest.

“Maybe it’s a tough period, but the only way to move forward is to work hard every day and believe and I believe in our skill, our way and our philosophy.”

Villa were dealt a blow on Friday with the news that Alan Hutton (ankle) would be sidelined for a fortnight, joining Fabian Delph (shoulder), Philippe Senderos (thigh) and Libor Kozak (leg) in the Villa Park treatment room.

Etienne Capoue (knee) and Aaron Lennon (hamstring) face late fitness tests for Spurs, while Nabil Bentaleb (ankle) and Kyle Walker (pelvis) remain out.

Harry Kane, meanwhile, will be angling for a first league start of the season after scoring in midweek to enhance his growing reputation.