Tottenham’s match against Aston Villa moved ahead of Europa League final | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League match against Aston Villa has been moved forward by two days ahead of Spurs’ potential participation in this season’s Europa League final.

The match has been moved to aid Spurs’ potential preparations and recovery ahead of the final, with the Lilywhites now travelling to Villa Park on the evening of Friday, 16 May, having originally been scheduled to face Villa on Sunday, 18 May at 2.15pm.

The Europa League final takes place on Wednesday, 21 May, and Spurs are currently well-placed to earn a spot in Bilbao, having beaten Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in the first leg of their semi-final.

Ange Postecoglou’s side could well face Manchester United in the final, with the Red Devils having beaten Athletic Bilbao 3-0 away in the first leg of their tie. Ruben Amorim’s side will also play in the Premier League on the Friday night as they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Spurs requested last month that their match be moved, though Villa rejected to the potential alteration, citing that there was no precedent for the Premier League moving matches in this type of scenario. Villa themselves had played every three or four days in April due to Champions League and FA Cup commitments.

In addition, the club had planned several pre-organised activities for the match as it is their final home match of the 2024/25 season.

Spurs had originally requested that the game was moved to 15 May, though the game will now kick off at 7.30pm the day after. It is understood that the match will remain scheduled for the same day even if Spurs were to be knocked out of the Europa League this week.

The second leg of their semi-final takes place in Bodo on Thursday night, with kick-off at 8pm BST.