MY ACCOUNT
– Two of Everton’s last three games have been 0-0 at half-time
– Three of Aston Villa’s previous four away matches have been level at the break
– Recommended Bet: 1st Half Draw
Everton will aim to continue their winning home form on Saturday afternoon when they entertain an Aston Villa side needing to halt a run of three straight Premier League defeats.
Sean Dyche’s side are looking to transform Goodison Park into a fortress after back-to-back wins there against Arsenal and Leeds, the latest having lifted the Blues out of the relegation zone.
Villa are 11th in the table following last Saturday’s 4-2 home loss to the title-chasing Gunners that saw the visitors score twice in stoppage time.
Unfortunately, with the nature of his own goal that put Arsenal 3-2 up, Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez earned a stinging rebuke from manager Unai Emery for going up for the corner from which the Londoners broke away to add their fourth.
Team news
Dyche confirmed that Amadou Onana is fit and available for Saturday’s game after some concerns over the knee injury that forced him off against Leeds.
But Nathan Patterson will likely miss out again because of a slight knock that has stopped him from training this week.
Dyche is not expecting Dominic Calvert-Lewin back from a thigh issue just yet, so Neal Maupay should continue to play the striker’s role.
Andros Townsend and James Garner are also missing once more.
Villa boss Emery will be tempted to make some changes, although not in goal, as neither backup keepers Robin Olsen nor Jed Steer are fit enough to replace Martinez.
Centre-back Diego Carlos is stepping up his work on the training ground after several months of rehabilitation from Achilles surgery, but the Brazilian still needs more time to get up to speed.
Phillipe Coutinho should be in line for another start after repaying Emery’s faith in him by scoring against Arsenal, but Emiliano Buenda could make way for Leon Bailey’s return in a 4-4-2 set-up.
The stats
Everton and Villa will contest the 210th edition of the most played fixture in the history of English league football, with Villa victorious on 78 occasions while the Toffees have toasted 76 wins while 55 contests finished all square.
Everton have lost their last two home league games to the Villans, as many as in their previous 16 at Goodison Park (W7, D7).
However, in their league history, they have never lost three in a row at home to Villa.
Dyche could become the fifth permanent Everton manager to win each of his first three home league games in charge of the club, after William Edward Barclay (1888), Dick Molyneux (1889), Harry Catterick (1961) and Rafael Benitez (2021).
Everton’s winning goals in Dyche’s two home victories against Arsenal and Leeds have both been scored by defenders.
The Toffees have scored more than once in a league game just twice in 23 attempts this season.
Prediction
Everton are getting precisely what they wanted out of Dyche as the ex-Burnley coach has simplified the instructions to a squad that appeared confused towards the end of Frank Lampard’s tenure.
The Blues restricted Leeds to zero shots on target last Saturday, and it cannot be a coincidence that two of the team’s three lowest shots on target against counts this term have been under Dyche.
The Toffees still lack potency up front, particularly without the focal point that Dominic Calvert-Lewin can provide, and may again have to be patient for their openings against Villa.
The Midlands side have regressed as both an attacking force and a defensive unit since the start of February.
Emery’s team have posted expected goals of no higher than 0.5 in each of their last two games, while their opponents have registered xG figures of three or more on both occasions.
The Spaniard will surely try to arrest their slide with a defensive focus that could, like in three of Villa’s last four away matches, lead to the game being still deadlocked at the break.
