Aston Villa will host Everton at Villa Park on Sunday, and looking to continue their impressive run of form and consolidate their position on the Premier League table.
Aston Villa have picked up four wins and a draw from their last six Premier League matches, and they are third in the table ahead of the game vs Everton at Villa Park this weekend. The Villans will be disappointed with the draw against Crystal Palace in the last league game, and they will look to get back to winning ways in the top flight.
Meanwhile, Unai Emery’s managed to beat Tottenham in the FA Cup recently, and they will be full of confidence here. On the other hand, Everton have been quite poor in recent weeks. They have dropped down to 12th in the Premier League standings, and they need to improve their performance levels if they want to finish in the top half.
The Toffees have picked up just one win from their last six matches in all competitions. Aston Villa will be a tough outing for them, and it remains to be seen whether they can produce a strong performance. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Tyrone Mings is out with a hamstring injury, while Ross Barkley is recovering from a knee issue. Amadou Onana has a thigh injury, which will keep him in the treatment room until next month. However, Evann Guessand should be available to take on Everton, while Unai Emery continues to sweat over Emiliano Martinez’s fitness.
Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Everton, with Marco Bizot in goal. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back. Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa will start alongside Pau Torres at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn will provide defensive cover and drive the midfield. Youri Tielemans will be deployed in the attacking midfield role, looking to link the midfield to the attack.
Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia will start on the flanks. They will look to create goalscoring opportunities and add unpredictability in the final third. Finally, Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa vs Everton on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; McGinn, Kamara; Buendia, Tielemans, Rogers; Watkins
Everton
Carlos Alcaraz is out with a knock, Jarrad Branthwaite is struggling with a hamstring injury, Seamus Coleman will miss out with a hamstring injury, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has a thigh problem. Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye are away on AFCON duty with Senegal. Michael Keane is suspended.
Additionally, Tim Iroegbunam is struggling with a groin injury that will keep him in the treatment room for at least one more week. However, Jack Grealish is available after serving a suspension last week.
Everton are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Aston Villa, with Jordan Pickford in goal. Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko will start in the full-back positions. They will look to keep things tight defensively. Meanwhile, Jake O’Brien will start alongside James Tarkowski at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Tim Iroegbunam will start alongside James Garner in the middle of the park. They will look to protect the back four and break down the opposition’s attacking moves.
Jack Grealish and Tyler Dibling will start on the flanks. They will look to create opportunities on the break. Dwight McNeil will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Finally, Beto will spearhead the Everton attack vs Aston Villa on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Patterson, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Rohl, Garner; Dibling, McNeil, Grealish; Beto
Key Stats
- Aston Villa are unbeaten in five of their last six matches in all competitions. The Villans have won their 11 most recent home games in all competitions. They last had a longer run between March and October 1983 (14), while they last had a longer run in the same season between October and February in 1971/72 (12).
- Everton are winless in five of their last six matches in all competitions. However, the Toffees have won three of their last five away games in the Premier League (D1 L1), keeping a clean sheet in four of those five outings – as many as their previous 18 on the road beforehand.
- Aston Villa are undefeated in 13 of their last 14 matches against Everton in all competitions. The Villans have kept a clean sheet in five of their last seven matches against Everton in all competitions. 13 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
- Since David Moyes returned to the club last year, Everton have won nine of their 19 Premier League away games (D4 L6). Their previous nine away wins had come over a 65-game spell (D21 L35) across three different managers (Rafael Benitez, Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche).
- Emiliano Buendía has been involved in 10 goals in all competitions this season (6 goals, 4 assists), his joint-best return in a single campaign for Aston Villa along with 2021/22 (4 goals, 6 assists).
Player to Watch
Morgan Rogers
The Aston Villa playmaker is our key player to watch out for. He will look to make his mark in the final third and create opportunities for his teammates. He will look to get on the score sheet as well. Rogers has done quite well for the West Midlands club this season, and he will look to continue his impressive run of form.
Rogers has more goals (8) and more assists (6) than any other Aston Villa player in all competitions this season, having a hand in 10 goals (7 goals, 3 assists) in his last 12 starts. The Englishman is one of the best attacking talents in the Premier League right now, and he could cause all sorts of problems. The away side have looked quite vulnerable defensively in recent weeks, and they have conceded six goals in the last three outings.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 Everton
Aston Villa will be the favourites heading into this game, and they should be able to get the job done. Unai Emery has a better team, and they are in better form. Everton are struggling right now, with just one win from the last six matches.
The Toffees have failed to pick up wins over Wolves and Sunderland in their last couple of matches, and this is going to be another difficult contest for them. Both teams will look to put on a strong show here, but the home team should be able to grind out a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Emery and his charges.