Spurs vs. Aston Villa: Unai Emery makes bold claim about Roberto De Zerbi's side ahead of Premier League showdown

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has claimed that he expects Tottenham Hotspur to finish inside the top four of the Premier League table.

Villa and Spurs square off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with both clubs still searching for their first top-flight victory of the season.

Despite being tipped to challenge for the Champions League spots come the end of the season, the two teams also have just one goal between them in eight games.

Nevertheless, speaking at a press conference on Friday, Emery has predicted that Spurs will soon progress up the standings.

Although Emery talked up the "potential" of his own team, he seemingly feels that Spurs are better equipped to finish in the top four come the end of 2026-27.

The Spaniard told reporters: "Similar like us, but their potential is huge. They signed a lot of very good players. But they need time to get everything compact. And to achieve understanding their idea.

"De Zerbi is a fantastic manager. He played fantastic football here and performed fantastic here in Brighton. He did a fantastic job before as well in Italy and Marseille. They are getting better. They compete fantastic, even losing against Liverpool.

"Facing them is a difficult match. Of course, being very demanding defensively for us. Tottenham, I expect them to be in the top four."

If Emery is suggesting that he is backing Spurs to finish in the top four of the Premier League table, he is effectively saying that there is only one place up for grabs this season.

Arsenal and Manchester City are performing considerably better than the rest of the division, so Emery's comments would suggest that he views Villa as one of several teams who could claim the final top-four spot.

Emery took a similar approach in the media last season and Villa ultimately finished in the top five and won the Europa League.

Behind the scenes, though, Emery will expect Villa to repeat their achievements from previous seasons at the very least.