Aston Villa vs Everton: Preview and Prediction
Aston Villa will be up against Everton in the upcoming game of the 2022/23 Premier League season. This match will be played on Saturday at Villa Park in Birmingham.
Neither of the two teams has had the start they ideally would have preferred in the new season. They both lost their respective first matches, but one defeat would have hurt a lot more than the other, given the difference in the opposition they faced.
Aston Villa was up against a newly promoted team in Bournemouth, who had barely spent money on new signings in the ongoing summer transfer window. Despite that, Steven Gerrard’s team suffered a 1-0 victory. On the other hand, Everton gave a top-quality team in Chelsea a run for their money but eventually succumbed to a 1-0 defeat.
Current Form
Aston Villa had a fairly decent pre-season campaign. They split their team into two and played a total of eight matches – winning six of them. Their second-string team suffered a defeat against Hednesford Town, while their main team played out a 2-2 draw against Manchester United.
However, all of their slick movement and precise style of play were missing in their opening encounter against Bournemouth. Gerrard’s men looked out of sorts, failing to create enough chances while also letting the Cherries’ players attack quite easily. Hence, a lot of improvement is needed at Villa.
On the contrary, Everton played only four matches in their pre-season campaign. They lost against Arsenal and Minnesota United while securing victories against Blackpool and Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv.
As for their opening game against Chelsea, Frank Lampard’s men did a fairly decent job against their gaffer’s former club. However, a penalty just before half-time brought their downfall, as Jorginho’s goal became the differentiating factor between the two teams.
Head to Head Record
The head-to-head records between these two sides are neck-and-neck, with Aston Villa enjoying the slightest of advantages. They have beaten Everton 84 times, while the Toffees have had the last laugh on 82 occasions.
In the last season, however, Aston Villa won both fixtures. The first meeting saw the Villans securing a 3-0 win, courtesy of an own goal from Lucas Digne and goals from Matty Cash and Leon Bailey. Gerrard’s team won the second leg 1-0, with Emiliano Buendia being the scorer this time around.
Team News
Anthony Gordon is likely to play as a striker in Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s absence
Aston Villa will miss two players for this clash. Kortney House has undergone knee surgery and he will be out for about a month, while Tyrone Mings is yet to recover fully from a niggle. In his absence, Gerrard is expected to play Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos in the heart of defense, with Cash and Digne playing as wingbacks.
Using a 4-3-2-1 formation, the English tactician is likely to set up a three-man holding midfield, comprising skipper John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz. Ollie Watkins is likely to be the lone man upfront, with Bailey and Philippe Coutinho operating as number 10s.
Lampard, on the other hand, will have to deal with as many as six absentees. Ben Godfrey fractured his fibula in the match against Chelsea, while Yerry Mina injured his ankle ligament in the same match. Besides them, Andros Townsend, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Tom Davies and Andre Gomes are also expected to miss this fixture.
Lampard is expected to play out a 3-4-3 formation, where Mason Holgate, Michael Keane and James Tarkowski could form the three-man backline, with Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko playing as wingbacks. Abdoulaye Doucoure and Alex Iwobi are likely to be stationed in the middle of the park, behind a front three of Dwight McNeil, Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray.
Predicted Playing XIs
Aston Villa: Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Diego Carlos, Lucas Digne; John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz; Leon Bailey, Philippe Coutinho; Ollie Watkins.
Everton: Jordan Pickford; Mason Holgate, Michael Keane, James Tarkowski; Nathan Patterson, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Alex Iwobi, Vitaliy Mykolenko; Dwight McNeil, Anthony Gordon, Demarai Gray.
Prediction
Though Everton might have performed better than Aston Villa on the opening weekend, the latter will have almost all of their star players fit and available, while the former will have to field a weakened side. Hence, we have predicted Aston Villa to secure all three points from this fixture.
