Everton will host Aston Villa at Goodison Park on Sunday, looking to end their losing streak with a positive result at home.
Everton are coming into the game against Aston Villa on the back of three consecutive Premier League defeats, and the home fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players. It will be interesting to see if they can grind out a win against an in-form Aston Villa side.
Meanwhile, the visitors are second in the table, and they will look to close the gap with the league leaders with the victory away from home. They will want to take advantage of Everton’s vulnerabilities and grind out a win.
Aston Villa are coming into this game on the back of two consecutive victories across all competitions, and they have lost just one of their last six league matches. They will be the favourites to pick up all three points on current form, and it remains to be seen whether the players can step up and deliver.
Team News and Tactics
Everton
Dele Alli, Ashley Young and Dwight McNeil are injured, and they will miss out. Idrissa Gueye is away on international duty at the Africa Cup of nations. Everton will start in a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Jordan Pickford in goal.
Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko will start as the full-backs, and they will look to protect the central defenders and help out during counter-attacks. James Tarkowski will form the central defensive partnership alongside Jarrad Branthwaite.
James Garner will start alongside Amadou Onana in central midfield. The two players will look to add defensive cover to the side and break up opposition attacks. Jack Harrison and Arnaut Danjuma should feature as the wingers.
They will look to link up with the attackers and create opportunities from the wide areas. Finally, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will lead the line for Everton against Aston Villa, with Abdoulaye Doucoure operating as the central attacking midfielder.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Garner, Onana, Danjuma; Doucoure, Calvert-Lewin
Aston Villa
The visitors will be without Emiliano Buendia, who remains a long term injury problem along with Tyrone Mings. Lucas Digne has picked up an injury as well. Meanwhile, Bertrand Traore is away on international duty.
Villa will start in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Emiliano Martinez in goal. Ezri Konsa and Alex Moreno will be deployed as the full backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Diego Carlos will start along with Clement Lenglet at the heart of the defence. Pau Torres has a knock, and he is unlikely to be risked here.
As for the midfield unit, Douglas Luiz will start alongside Boubacar Kamara in the double pivot. The two players will look to win the ball back for their side and break up the opposition attacks.
John McGinn will continue as the central attacking midfielder, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey should start in the white areas, and they will look to add drive and creativity to the side from the flanks. Finally, Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa against Everton.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Lenglet, Moreno; Luiz, Kamara; Bailey, McGinn, Ramsey; Watkins
Key Stats
- Everton have lost their last three matches in the Premier League.
- Aston Villa have won their last three away matches against Everton in all competitions.
- Aston Villa are unbeaten in five of their last six Premier League matches.
- 16 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
- Aston Villa have won five of their last six matches against Everton.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
The 28-year-old Aston Villa striker has 12 goals and 8 assists across all competitions and he will look to continue his impressive run of form with another goal here. He could cause all sorts of problems for the Everton defence with his creativity, link up play and sharpness in front of goal.
The England international is our key player to watch out for and Everton will have to keep him quiet if they want to come away with a win here.
Prediction
Everton 1-2 Aston Villa
Both teams will be looking for the three points here and this is likely to be an open game. However, Aston Villa have more quality and depth in their side and they should be able to edge this one. Everton are going through a rough patch and they are lacking in form and confidence. They are likely to come up short once again. A narrow away win is on the cards.
