Fourth hosts fifth in an intriguing Premier League contest on Sunday afternoon, as a decimated and declining Tottenham Hotspur welcome Aston Villa to North London.
Ange Postecoglou's men suffered back-to-back defeats to Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers before the international break, while the Lions got back on track with a 3-1 beating of Fulham.
The ravaged Lilywhites backline - comprising the out-of-favour Eric Dier and emergency centre-half Ben Davies - admirably held out after Brennan Johnson had given Spurs a third-minute lead, but Wolves substitute Pablo Sarabia inspired a phenomenal injury-time fightback, beating Guglielmo Vicario at his near post before slipping through Mario Lemina in the seventh minute of added time.
A penny for Postecoglou's thoughts as Gary O'Neil wheeled away in celebration down the touchline, but the composed Australian was nevertheless able to reflect on "plenty of positives" from his side's second successive Premier League defeat, which could have been heavier had Wolves been able to convert their earlier opportunities.
One of those positives is that Tottenham still occupy a Champions League qualification berth with nearly a third of the season played - sitting fourth with 26 points on the board - and only two points separate them from table-toppers Manchester City ahead of the champions' showdown with Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime.
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