Everton vs Aston Villa Predicted Lineups

Everton are flying high, and looking like a different proposition this season compared to last. Grealish and Ndiaye are tearing it up on the wings, Dewsberry-Hall and Garner are chipping in with screamers and Everton are winning games in style. The Toffees have won 3 games on the bounce, if you count the EFL Cup win over Mansfield that was sandwiched between two league wins against Brighton and Wolves. Everton scored 5 goals in those 2 games and carry a legitimate attacking threat, whether in settled possession or in transition. Grealish seems to have brought a new energy to the team entering a new era in their new home ground, the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Everton welcome a struggling Aston Villa side to their new ground, and with the team full of confidence the fans will expect a win.

Villa have yet to score a goal this season. They are currently 19th after 3 games played with 1 point on the board. It is about as dreadful a start to the season as Emery, the players and the fans could have imagined. It was a tough summer for Aston Villa, after failing to secure Champions League football, heading in to the transfer window with talks selling their best players in order to combat looming PSR issues and little talk of incomings. Villa did hold on to the likes of Tielemans, Rogers and Watkins but the only players of note they brought in were Evan Guessand, Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho. To follow that kind of window up by going goalless in the first 3 games, heading in to GW4 against an in-form Everton side, off the back of consecutive losses to Palace and Brentford, is a brutal position to find themselves in so early in the season.

Everton will look to continue their great start to the season in front of an electric home crowds. If they can win the physical and individual battles across the pitch, which they will look to do, they might then dominate a Villa team low on confidence and put them under real pressure. Emery made big starting lineup mistakes in the early weeks that he will look to rectify. The international break came at a good time, providing the players and the fan base the opportunity for a mental reset. Aston Villa should put in a better performance in this game playing with some desperation, while Everton will want to prove this isn’t a purple patch and that they are a legitimately good team. This should be a game that is full of intrigue.

 

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Green Light: Confident the player will start.

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Everton Predicted Lineup:

Everton Team News:

David Moyes speaking Friday revealed Ndiaye may not be fit to start in GW4 after picking up a knock. Moyes said “We’ve got a concern about Ili Ndiaye – he’s got a knock, so we’ll need to see. We’re not sure how he’ll be for tomorrow”, which does not sound very positive, and is especially worrying because it’s a fresh injury. If Ndiaye misses out, which I think he will, Alcaraz or McNeil become the top 2 options to replace him, Alcaraz being the most likely.

Mykolenko was withdrawn from the Ukranian National Team squad after suffering a setback to the injury that kept him out of the first 2 games of the season. Moyes revealed “Vitalii Mykolenko is around it. We’ll need to see whether he’s going to make it or not. Hopefully he might be okay”, which leaves Mykolenko’s status very much up in the air. Speaking on Mykolenko’s understudy Aznou he said “Adam Aznou and Nathan Patterson are both back in training. They’re back fit. Are they match-ready to play? I’m not 100 per cent sure”. I lean towards Aznou starting at left-back in GW4 given he is fully fit, and if Mykolenko is fit enough to make the matchday squad, he will start on the bench.

Branthwaite’s return is unlikely to come in GW4 as he recovers from a hamstring injury. Moyes speaking on the the young centre-back stated “Jarrad Branthwaite is getting closer but he’s not quite there yet – but he’s certainly getting closer. I’ve no idea at the moment, but I think we’ll be a few weeks before we’re at that stage.” Branthwaite will replace Keane in the starting XI when he is eventually fit, but that is clearly still weeks away.

Everton have won two games on the bounce, and the new players have brought a real energy and quality to the team. Grealish and Dewsberry-Hall have been great since joining and are locked in starters at this point. Grealish and Ndiaye are guaranteed starters every week when fit. Beto started and scored against Wolves and likely keeps his place ahead of Barry but there has already been rotation between the two strikers, so that could be something we continue to see based on matchups or rest needs.

Everton Players to Watch:

Mykolenko:

Aznou:

Beto:

Branthwaite:

Barry:

Aston Villa Predicted Lineup:

Aston Villa Team News:

Unai Emery informed the media during his press conference on Friday that “Matty Cash is available. We have some players injured who are close, Andres Garcia, (Boubacar) Kamara and (Amadou) Onana. Ross Barkley has a personal issue and I think he will come back and be available soon, but not yet.” Kamara’s original timeline was more clear, and we expected he would be close for this matchup against Everton. Onana’s was less clear but it appears both have a chance to make the squad for this game, but it does seem like both are in a bit of a race against time. Given both injuries were muscle injuries, and neither one is definitively fit as of Friday, I would suspect the best case scenario for both is making the bench. McGinn likely moves deeper to play alongside Tielemans, and new loan signing (with an obligation to buy for £35m) Harvey Elliott likely makes his Villa debut, starting in the 10 role. Rogers and Malen would then start on the wings with Watkins up-front. Speaking on Elliott, Emery said “Harvey was training and playing consistently with Liverpool and is more or less fit”, so a decent sign he’s in contention.

Emery spoke glowingly about Emi Martinez, exclaiming “Him staying here is good news, I am so happy. He is the best goalkeeper in the world, his commitment to Aston Villa is massive. He is always training to get his best, respecting Aston Villa. Some circumstances happen. Everyone is happy, the energy today was very good. Emi is happy and now he knows his challenge is with Aston Villa and his national team”. It seems like Martinez is now committed to Villa, and he will re take his spot as the starting goalkeeper.

Speaking on Sancho, Emery revealed “Sancho was not training with the group and physically he will need time.” He’s out for GW4. New signing Evan Guessand started in GW3 at left-wing, but failed to really make any impact. He was substituted off in the 46th minute for Buendia who we predicted would start in the 10 role. Clearly Emery is searching for the right balance. I think Elliott in ahead of Tielemans and McGinn, with Rogers wide is probably the way Emery will want to go over Guessand out wide with Rogers in the 10.

Aston Villa Players to Watch:

Martinez:

Torres:

Malen:

Elliott:

Kamara:

Onana:

Guessand:

Sancho:

Final Thoughts:

Moyes will have Everton set up in their usual 4-2-1-3 and won’t play like the Everton we have come to know over the past few years. This team will look to out physical and out run you like previous Everton sides, but they will also look to play with the ball, to control proceedings in possession as well as out of possession, and with Ndiaye and Grealish in fine form they will look to add to Villa’s misery. Emery will come to the Hill Dickinson stadium looking to show his team can soak up pressure, compete and hurt teams on the counter, and that is what Villa must do if they want to kick-start their season with a win in GW4. I can see a hard fought draw with goals, a 1-1 or 2-2.