The goalkeeper has not featured for Tottenham Hotspur since arriving on loan.
Tottenham Hotspur’s summer transfer business was hit-and-miss to say the least, but among the success stories (Victor Wanyama) and the disappointments (Moussa Sissoko) there was the somewhat baffling decision to bring Pau Lopez in on loan.
The Spaniard went from being first-choice at Espanyol to third choice at White Hart Lane, and with Tottenham pushing hard for the Premier League title Lopez will struggle for minutes as long as Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm both remain at the club.
In fact, Lopez could be facing something of a last-chance saloon, at least for this season, with the FA Cup third round clash against Aston Villa arguably his last realistic chance of a senior start unless his loan move is made permanent in the summer.
The problem for Lopez is that Vorm is a more than able deputy and he should start against Steve Bruce’s side.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino may spring a surprise and start Lopez, but if he does not, it is hard to see where the 22-year-old’s Spurs debut will come from.
This is unlikely to be the way Lopez saw things panning out this season, with just a single appearance in a match-day squad to date, but he will be hoping Sunday sees a change in his fortunes.
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