Guess the current Aston Villa player from these three clues:
I scored on my professional debut aged just 18.
My parent club also play in the Premier League.
I have an MBE.
Come back to this page at 17:00 BST for the answer
Let's face it, everyone on the planet thinks Aston Villa will win this - the same way everyone will expect Chelsea to beat Manchester United in Friday's other game.
The way both Tottenham and United are approaching next week's Europa League final, they are just gripped with fear. It has become like a World Cup final for both clubs.
Both managers will make lots of changes for their matches on Friday, because they are so afraid of injuries to key players but I just don't think that is the way to approach Wednesday's game in Bilbao.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou does not want anyone to get injured but the flip side to leaving key people out is that you want to go into a big game with a bit of momentum, and Tottenham do not have any.
I put myself in a position of a Spurs player, and if I am Micky van de Ven or Cristian Romero, I would want to play against Villa and I would want to take that risk.
But what Postecoglou is scared of, naturally, is if something happens to one of them, because then he would be asked 'why on earth did you do that?'
So, we know what he will do and, because of that, you can't make a case for Tottenham beating Villa, or getting anything at all from this game.
On the face of it, things have turned out pretty well for Villa haven't they? Last summer they would have looked at their last two games of the season - Spurs at home on Friday and United away next weekend - and thought that is very tough.
Now, though, they must be rubbing their hands. They are fighting for a top-five finish and they finish up with two games against teams whose focus this week is completely on an all together different prize.
Sutton's prediction: 2-0
Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesMarcus Rashford will not play in Aston Villa's game against Tottenham
Marcus Rashford has potentially played his last game for Aston Villa after being ruled out of their game with Tottenham.
The striker, on loan from Manchester United, has failed to recover from a hamstring injury he suffered last month.
His absence for the rest of the season was anticipated, even if there was a slim hope he could play a part in Villa's Champions League push.
Rashford cannot play in Villa's final game at parent club United on 25 May and while Villa have a £40m option to buy his future remains unclear.
"Youri (Tielemans) and Marcus are not available and (Jacob) Ramsey is suspended and other players are ready," said boss Unai Emery at his pre-match press conference.
"We have to do each step forward, testing and analysing how they are recovering. I don't know exactly if they (injured players) will be (available next week). Marcus can't play next week.
"But they are working in the facilities every day and they are feeling better."
Rashford has made 17 appearances, scoring four goals, since joining from Old Trafford in February and earned an England recall in March after a 12-month absence.
Villa are sixth in the Premier League, level on points with Chelsea who occupy the final Champions League qualification spot with two games left.
Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Tottenham at Villa Park (kick-off 19:30 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Emery confirmed Marcus Rashford and Youri Tielemans are not available for Friday's game. Both players are "feeling better" and he is unsure about Tielemans' availability for the final match, but it means on-loan forward Rashford will not feature again with next week's fixture being against Manchester United.
The Villa boss said he "doesn't want holidays" now as his side are in a "very good moment" in the season with two games remaining: "We are very motivated, very excited to play in Villa Park tomorrow with our objective in front of us to play in Europe again. It is not in our hands but we can have the option to play Champions League again."
On if he calculates the permutations needed to qualify for the Champions League: "I can't do the calculations of how it is going because if I was doing calculations five or six matches before, then we are not arriving now with the possibility we have. Only tomorrow's match, only tomorrow's points, only tomorrow and how we can beat the opponent, how we can add more points in the table. That is our responsibility and our focus."
On if it is difficult to know what to expect from Tottenham with them looking ahead to a Europa League final: "How they are performing in Europe is really fantastic and they are in the final. How they can prepare as best as possible for the final? Maybe their first objective is tomorrow. I think they are going to play with better players and I think they will compete with their best performances to get ready for the final."
Emery said they will "need supporters transmitting their energy and wishes" in the final home game on Friday: "All our supporters can come to the stadium to be with us. For the last game at home, we need it full with supporters helping us and supporting us, and we can do our best for them. We have huge commitment to share this moment with them."
On their achievement of managing playing in Europe while still being competitive in the league: "To play in Europe consistently is my objective... We are playing nearly 55 matches in different competitions the past two years. It means we have the demands of Europe too - but I like playing in Europe. I like to get prestige for the club by playing in Europe. For me, it is really fantastic."
Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Image source, Getty ImagesIn addition to Premier League manager and player of the season, the shortlist for young player has also been announced.
Chelsea's Cole Palmer is in the running to win the award for the second year in a row.
The 23-year-old forward has 15 goals and eight assists in 35 appearances.
Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch and Liam Delap, who has scored 12 of Ipswich's 35 goals, are also on the eight-player shortlist.
The other nominees are Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest), Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth), Joao Pedro (Brighton), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), and William Saliba (Arsenal).
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions as we approach the final two Premier League games of the season.
Andrew in York asked: What will the summer look like for Aston Villa? Despite getting revenue for going deep into the Champions League, as well as getting a big fee for Jhon Duran in January, there's still talk we have to sell players to comply with PSR?
Phil answered: Aston Villa may have to do deals to fend off any lingering PSR concerns, but I think the club are in safe hands with the current ownership and those sales will be smart without weakening the squad.
We have even seen Morgan Rogers linked with Chelsea, but I do not see Villa entertaining that sort of deal as they want to push on from what Unai Emery has already achieved.
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa are unbeaten in their past 20 home games in all competitions, winning 14 and drawing six, with Villa most recently having a longer run between September 1976 and May 1977 (24).
Ollie Watkins scored his 75th Premier League goal last time out against Bournemouth, becoming Aston Villa's highest goalscorer in the competition. He is looking to score 10 home goals in the same top-flight season for the first time (currently nine), though none of his three goals against Spurs have come at Villa Park.
Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter
Image source, Getty Images"Worth his weight in gold," was Lee Hendrie's opinion of Ollie Watkins' importance to Aston Villa after his goal at Bournemouth kept them in the race for a return to the Champions League next season.
It took a few minutes of careful guesswork and long multiplication, but I reckon that after the recent rise in the going rate, Ollie Watkins' weight in gold would be worth about £6m. So, if he scores the goals to carry Villa to a top-five finish, even gold wouldn't do his value justice.
You will recall that late in the mid-season transfer window, Arsenal evidently made their own assessment of Watkins' value, reportedly offering between £45m and £60m to sign him. Villa rejected that out of hand, and there was some indignance around Villa Park that night at what was perceived as cynical behaviour, seeking to unsettle the player on the day of their Champions League game against Celtic.
It was hard to imagine Villa agreeing to let Watkins leave. At that point, his alternate was still Jhon Duran, not quite on his way to the Middle East, and the idea of signing Marcus Rashford still felt speculative. Watkins had already seen off one challenge to his regular starting place – Duran's red card at Newcastle ended that experiment – and later would be displaced temporarily by Rashford, but whenever deployed he was demonstrably the same as ever, doggedly chasing and harrying opponents, looking for an opening.
His obviously undimmed appetite for work made the controversy around his comments last month, regarding Rashford's selection ahead of him for the two games against Paris St-Germain, feel a little confected. Watkins said he had been "fuming" about not starting those games, and had told Unai Emery just that. The reaction was really a measure of how seldom players feel they can speak plainly in public without causing offence or chaos. In Watkins' position, you'd have been fuming too, and so would I. So, probably, would Emery, whose respect for Watkins' professionalism has been clear for a long time. It was just business. Watkins made his point in a grown-up way, and pressed on.
Perhaps the day will come when an offer for Watkins, who will be 30 later this year, feels right for all parties. But good strikers are hard to find, dependable ones doubly so.
Watkins spoke of his pride at fulfilling his aim to score more Premier League goals for Villa than anyone else. Given continued form and fitness, he could put that record out of anyone else's reach for years to come, and it will be good for Villa if he does.
Tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights
Image source, Getty ImagesFor the players and fans, Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi getting this injury in a situation where the offside flag should have been raised is so frustrating.
The frustration is when it is clear and obvious. Officials have been overseeing games for many years and they would always flag whether they were right or wrong.
Now technology has come into it, they are very reliant on VAR to make the right decision, the factual decision, about an offside. But, I think when an offside is so clear and obvious, it should be the duty of the assistant referee to put their flag up and stop play from the off.
When it is marginal, I understand we are a bit more hesitant when there are really fine margins, and we have seen those fine margins when goals have been given and it is a toenail to keep them on-side. I would understand it from that point of view, but it was on the halfway-line where the offside happened on Sunday, only for play to be allowed to continue.
It has been a matter of time. It has been a time bomb waiting to go off for somebody to get seriously injured. Awoniyi is the one that has got that injury - that horrific injury - because of it. Some will say it is only the first time it has happened in the duration of this rule, but it should never happen. That is how players will be looking at it, how fans and managers will be looking at it and saying 'it should never happen'. We should not wait for something to happen to reassess rules like this.
I don't like the ruling of it - it is on the halfway-line, it is clear and obviously offside, everybody in the stadium could probably see it. It should be for the assistant referee to make the decision. There are small margins in the box, I understand why they are a bit hesitant, but in open play, if somebody is sprinting, you could cause hamstring, quad, and all types of muscle injuries.
I am totally against this rule of waiting to put up the flag and I think most players and managers are as well. It's disappointing. I think it's a rule that nobody likes, and I'm sure in the summer off the back of this injury, one that will probably be reassessed.
Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson
Speaking on The Football News Show, former Chelsea and Scotland winger Pat Nevin believes Aston Villa could miss out on Champions League qualification due to their inferior goal difference and exertions in other competitions this season.
David Michael
Fan writer
Image source, PA MediaWhile he's still some way off Aston Villa's all-time top scorer Billy Walker - who netted 244 goals between 1920 and 1934 - Ollie Watkins has now become the club's record Premier League goalscorer, with 75 goals in 182 league appearances.
Watkins reached the milestone in almost half the appearances it took the previous record holder, Gabby Agbonlahor, who managed 74 goals in 322 games - a stat that also reflects Villa's accelerated progress in recent seasons.
While Watkins grabbed headlines with his dramatic winner for England in the Euro 2024 semi-final, Villa fans will now be hoping the next step in his evolution is becoming the kind of clinical big-game finisher the club can rely on.
The stakes in Villa's final two league games are certainly on a similar level, giving the England striker an instant platform to make such a statement.
First up is a rare Friday night double-header, with Villa and their direct Champions League rivals Chelsea each taking on teams who have one eye on their own quest for a Champions League spot through winning the Europa League final.
Surely, both Spurs and Manchester United will prioritise resting players for next week's final, but will one be weaker than the other?
Villa will play both finalists in their last two league games, so a Watkins winner against Spurs and a legendary hat-trick at Old Trafford would be just the tonic to help Villa snatch a top-five place.
Not only would it also give Watkins his 20-goal target for this season, but it would set him up nicely in attempting to cross the 100 Premier League goals line next season.
Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external
Image source, Getty ImagesThere were two words from Aston Villa boss Unai Emery when asked about record-breaker Ollie Watkins after their win over Bournemouth - "Fantastic. Brilliant."
The striker himself admitted: "I said when I joined the club, that was what I had my eyes on."
Now it is official. He is Aston Villa's record Premier League goalscorer, scoring his 75th league goal for the club to see off the Cherries and move one clear of Gabby Agbonlahor's previous record haul.
When the England international guided Morgan Rogers' low cross into the bottom corner with a deft touch, it was also his 16th Premier League goal of the season - no other Englishman has more.
Longevity is key. Watkins has scored at least 10 league goals in all five of his seasons at Villa, helping him move ahead of Dwight Yorke, Dion Dublin and Juan Pablo Angel in the club's top-scorer charts.
It marks a dramatic return to favour for the 29-year-old, who joined from Brentford in 2020.
When he equalled Agbonlahor's record in April, Watkins said he was "fuming" with his lack of game time - calling out his manager Emery.
But, four matches later, he is once again Villa's main man with his boss calling his achievement "very fantastic".
The Spaniard said in his post-match interview: "We are here collectively achieving our objective and individuals are very important.
"We have to support and help each individual player to get their objective as well.
"Ollie Watkins is very fantastic. How he plays consistently here and his career as a player, he is very humble and trying to improve every day. He is not relaxing - he is always trying to do his work. His work is fantastic.
"[It is] not just his scoring because he also played in the way we needed to stop them and he did a fantastic job."
Former Premier League defender Ashley Williams highlighted Amadou Onana as one of Aston Villa's standout performers in their victory against Bournemouth: "I was really impressed with him coming in for [Youri] Tielemans. It was a really strong and powerful midfield performance - as a centre back, that is exactly what you want in front of you.
"He just sat in the middle of the pitch all game, starting off attacks and breaking up play. He was big and strong on corners which is what they needed with Bournemouth having numerous corners. In a really big game for Villa, it was a strong performance."
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and Aston Villa.
Here are some of your comments:
Bournemouth fans
Sam: Credit to Villa - they kept us quiet, created chances and deserved to win in the end. I was hoping we might nick a goal but not to be. Here's hoping Europe is not a step too far as ultimately for all the good results, it would end up being a disappointing season considering where we have been in the table at times. Come on Cherries, let's attack these final two games with all we have got and then what will be will be. At least we could end the season knowing we have given it our all.
Peter: Just one question - how on arth did Tyrone Mings get away with that elbow? Blatant violent conduct - straight red card.
Kevin: Bournemouth couldn't get into any rhythm, Villa did a great job stopping Bournemouth attacking. They deserved the win.
Tim: Possibly Bournemouth's worst display of the season. Passes went astray, dead ball situations wasted and, until the final 10 minutes, an untypical lack of urgency.
Aston Villa fans
Jonny: Matty Cash stole man of the match with that goalline clearance at the death. He performed admirably, shutting down Bournemouth's attack all game. Ollie Watkins taking Gabriel Agbonlahor's record is an achievement well earned by his time at Villa. One step closer to the Champions League!
Simon: Substance over style. The points are more important than the performances at this point of the season. So pleased for Ollie Watkins getting our Premier League goals record.
Ian: Great three points for the Villa after a very hard fought game against a very good Bournemouth side. We defended very well and could have had another couple of goals. A vital win and two more to go that hopefully will see us back in the Champions League.
Rob: Great three points for the Villa. Very hard fought game against a very good Bournemouth side. We defended very well and could have had another couple of goals. Vital win, two more to go, which hopefully will see us back in the Champions League.
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa can no longer finish lower than seventh, meaning they are guaranteed European football in at least the Conference League next season.
And with two games remaining, former Premier league midfielder Michael Brown and the Telegraph's Luke Edwards are backing Unai Emery's men to qualify for the Champions League for a successive season.
"It is an impressive achievement," said Edwards on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "They have rallied again.
"They have Manchester United and Tottenham left to play, who seemingly don't bother to play at weekends and just weekdays, so they have a real chance of sneaking into the Champions League."
Brown added: "I have fancied them to do it for a long time because I thought they would come up strong. Their recruitment in the January window was excellent and they have gone well since then.
"I expect them to win their final two games. They are a really consistent team now and the squad is really good.
"Villa are in their stride and here to stay."
Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz says he misses playing for Aston Villa as he struggles for first-team football at Juventus, who signed the 27-year-old from the Midlands club last summer. (Twitch, via Birmingham Mail), external
On X on Monday, Fabrizio Romano posted some quotes, external from Luiz that clarified his position: "I spoke about Aston Villa as an happy place for me, I loved to be there and develop at that club but I never mentioned a return to Aston Villa. Don't misunderstand me."
Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column
Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesOllie Watkins became Aston Villa's record Premier League goalscorer as his winner at Bournemouth helped Unai Emery's side boost their Champions League qualification hopes.
In the final minute of first-half stoppage time Watkins guided Morgan Rogers' low cross into the bottom corner with a delicate, deft touch.
It was the England striker's 75th league goal for Villa and moved him one clear of Gabby Agbonlahor's previous record haul.
When Watkins equalled Agbonlahor's record in April he was resigned to sharing Villa's starting striker spot with Manchester United loan player Marcus Rashford.
At the time Watkins said he was "fuming" with his lack of game time.
With Rashford now out for the season with a hamstring injury, Watkins is once again Emery's main man.
The 29-year-old's importance cannot be understated. Each of his past four goals have put Villa into 1-0 leads.
Image source, Getty ImagesUnai Emery speaking to BBC Match of the Day after their 1-0 victory over Bournemouth: "I am very proud of the team and grateful for the owners and the way they are supporting us and are ambitious. They are very focused in different competitions and achieving different objectives and the most important for us is the Premier League to once again get Europe.
"We are in the run for it and we are competing today with the demands set in the dressing room. The players, we try to get out of our pressure something positive.
"It is the best competition in the world, we are winning matches and we can be a good contender. We are winning to try and be there. The first objective is to try and play in Europe again and we are feeling comfortable with the pressure we are setting ourselves.
"We are fighting with Manchester City and Chelsea and we fight for Europe."
On Ollie Watkins: "Fantastic. Brilliant. We are here, collectively achieving our objective. Ollie Watkins is fantastic. He played consistently here and he is very humble. Trying to improve every day sand he is not relaxing. He played fantastic. We were very demanding how we we needed to press them and threaten them.
"We did it collectively and over 90 minutes very good work. We did not concede a lot of chances. But how we compete and defend, I am so proud of them."
