Aston Villa and Everton face off in the Premier League as the two teams, in contrasting forms, are aiming to achieve their objectives.
Unai Emery will want some continuity in form after a decent start to the campaign as Aston Villa get set to host Everton at Villa Park on Saturday. The Villans have managed two victories from their three games while losing at home to Arsenal in Gameweek 2.
The Spanish coach built last season on superior home form, as he led the team to a 15-game winning run between March and December 2023. But since then, their form at Villa Park has dwindled.
Aston Villa have since won four of their twelve home clashes in the Premier League, and Emery will be eager to build the foundations for the season at Villa Park. For that, they will have to get over the line against a struggling Everton side, as Aston Villa will come into this clash as favourites.
In the two wins this season against West Ham United and Leicester City, Emery had to rely on substitute striker Jhon Duran’s goals, as his strikes in both those games proved to be the winners. He will want a resilient defence against the Toffees and will hope to build momentum for next week’s UEFA Champions League return with a victory over Everton on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Everton fans are still baffled at how their team capitulated in the game just before the international break. After a horrendous start to the season with heavy defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and then Tottenham, it appeared that the Toffees may have found their mojo against Bournemouth.
With two quick second-half goals from Michael Keane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Everton were cruising towards the finishing line and on course to secure their first win of the Premier League season. However, a late showing from the Cherries saw Sean Dyche’s side capitulate, as Bournemouth secured a stunning victory, scoring three goals in the space of nine minutes.
The result will have had ramifications for Everton, as defeats often deflate the team’s morale. Dyche will have to manoeuvre a result at Villa Park, as only a positive outcome to their visit will ease the pressure on his shoulders. They do have a dreadful record against Aston Villa, who are unbeaten against the Toffees since returning to the Premier League back in 2019.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Some notable absentees in the squad could make for a selection headache ahead of the Everton clash while keeping in mind the UEFA Champions League bow in the coming week for Aston Villa. There are some concerns with the squad, as Leon Bailey is ruled out for a few weeks, while Matty Cash is also unavailable for the time being.
There is some positive news about Jaden Philogene and Diego Carlos’s fitness. Emery hopes the Brazilian defender proves his fitness following significant doubts over Ezri Konsa’s participation ahead of the weekend. The England international suffered a knock, and there are doubts whether he will face Everton.
Emery did not update anything on Konsa’s injury, which is a sign that the centre-back could be fit and available for the Everton game. Meanwhile, the manager also quashed any doubts about Ollie Watkins, who withdrew from the England squad with a problem. Emery insisted he was fit and available to play, which would spark speculation that Watkins might start on the bench.
Jhon Duran, with two goals in three games this season, is well-positioned to start for Aston Villa and prove to his manager he can deliver. The Colombian might lead the line against Everton and will want to add to his tally for the season.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Martinez; Bogarde, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Ramsey, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn; Rogers, Duran
Everton
Sean Dyche will have to deal with a few injury issues in his squad that could continue to impact the results on the pitch. For instance, Nathan Patterson and Jarrad Branthwaite remain sidelined, which could pose problems for Everton’s defence, which has conceded ten goals in three games so far in the Premier League.
Seamus Coleman will be assessed ahead of the game, as the Everton captain picked up a problem while on international duty for the Republic of Ireland. Should he miss out, then Ashley Young might start at right-back against his former side, Aston Villa. Other than that, Dyche might name a similar lineup that suffered that horrendous defeat against Bournemouth before the international break.
Tim Iroegbunam and Idrissa Gueye will continue to feature in central midfield, with summer signing Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Harrison set to feature in the wide attacking areas. Dwight McNeil will play right behind striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who will hope to add another goal to his tally this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Gueye, Iroegbunam; Harrison, McNei, Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have kept a clean sheet in six of their last eight matches against Everton in all competitions.
- Aston Villa are unbeaten in the Premier League against Everton since returning to the top flight in 2019.
- Everton have conceded at least three goals in their last three matches in the Premier League.
- Everton are on a run of four straight defeats in the Premier League stretching from the final game of last season.
- Jhon Duran has scored seven Premier League goals despite making only three career starts in the division. His tally of six goals as a substitute since the start of last season is the most of any Premier League player
Player to Watch
Jhon Duran
Aston Villa supporters, and mainly their manager will be mightily pleased at keeping Jhon Duran beyond the summer window despite heavy links with an exit. The striker already has two goals from the bench in three games, with both of those strikes proving to be the winner.
The fact that Ollie Watkins is not 100% fit means there is a big chance for Unai Emery to hand Duran a start against Everton. A big performance against the Toffees will allow the Colombian to make a case for himself and intensify the competition with Morgan Rogers and Watkins, which will be a welcome headache for Emery to have. Even if he starts from the bench, Duran can make an impact, which would lead to more pressure on Watkins.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 Everton
Villa have improved a lot when it comes to set pieces, highlighted by the arrival of Amadou Onana, who has scored twice in such situations. However, Emery will want to see more from open play, as he hopes to create a more stable attacking unit. Against Everton, Villa have a big chance to showcase that, as they are favourites to take three points here.
As for Everton, the pressure is on them as well as on Dyche to deliver their first points of the season. Another defeat would make the manager’s position unattainable, as the Toffees come to Birmingham with the aim of showing improvement. However, the task might prove too big for Dyche to comprehend, as they could be staring at another defeat, their fourth of the season in as many games.