Everton will host Aston Villa at Goodison Park on Wednesday, looking to bounce back from their disappointing run of form.
Everton have lost two Premier League games in a row, and they are winless in their last five ahead of the match vs Aston Villa at Goodison Park on Wednesday evening. The Toffees are 16th in the table, and they are very much in danger of going down this season.
David Moyes has returned to the dugout after a dozen years, replacing Sean Dyche. Everton will need to secure safety in the Premier League, and they need to start picking up points. It will be interesting to see if they can grind out a positive result against Aston Villa at home.
Meanwhile, the West Midlands club are currently eighth in the table, and they will be desperate for European qualification next season. Aston Villa need to add some consistency to their performances. The away side have picked up just three events from the last six league games.
It remains to be seen whether they can pile further misery on Everton and grind out a positive result away from home. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Everton
Tim Iroegbunam misses out with an ankle issue, James Garner is unavailable due to a lower back injury, Dwight McNeil has a knee injury, Armando Broja has an ankle injury, and Youssef Chermiti has a thigh injury.
Everton will shape up in a 4-4-1-1 formation vs Aston Villa, with Jordan Pickford in goal. Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back. James Tarkowski will start alongside Jarrad Branthwaite at the heart of the defence.
Jack Harrison and Iliman Ndiaye will start in the wide areas. They will look to add pace and flair to the side. As for the midfield unit, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye will start in the middle of the park, and they will look to add defensive cover and physicality to the side.
Beto will start as the attacking midfielder here, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin will lead the line for Everton vs Aston Villa at Goodison Park on Wednesday evening.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Doucoure, Gueye, Ndiaye; Beto; Calvert-Lewin
Aston Villa
Pau Torres misses out with an ankle injury, Ross Barkley has a calf injury, and John McGinn has a thigh complaint.
Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Everton, with Emiliano Martinez in goal. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and hit the Toffees on the break. Diego Carlos will start alongside Ezri Konsa in the central defensive pairing.
As for the midfield unit, Amadou Onana will look to break down opposition attacks and win the ball back for his side in the midfield. Youri Tielemans will look to control the tempo of the game alongside him.
Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey will add pace, flair and creativity to the side from the wide areas. Morgan Rogers will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa vs Everton on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Carlos, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Ramsey, Rogers, Bailey; Watkins
Key Stats
- Everton have failed to score in eight of their last ten matches in the Premier League.
- Everton have failed to win five of their last six Premier League matches.
- Aston Villa have conceded ten goals in their last six matches in all competitions.
- 17 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Aston Villa are winless in three of their last six Premier League matches.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
The Aston Villa striker is our key player to watch out for. The West Midlands club will need him to step up and produce in the final third if they want to grind out all three points. Everton have conceded in three of the last four outings in all competitions, and Watkins will look to exploit their defensive vulnerabilities and get on the score sheet here.
The England international is more than just a goalscorer, and he is adept at bringing others into the game. He will create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates as well.
Prediction
Everton 1-1 Aston Villa
Neither side are in particularly good form, and this is likely to be a contest. Everton will be desperate for a positive result at home, and Aston Villa will not want to end up on the losing side either. It would not be a surprise if they ended up cancelling each other out.
Both teams are quite evenly matched on current form and it will be hard to separate them. They are likely to end up sharing the spoils here. A goalscoring draw seems quite likely. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.