Aston Villa travel to Everton today and both clubs didn’t bring in any new players in yesterdays transfer deadline day. Despite that both teams have brought in two new players. Everton signing McGeady and Troare on loan from Monaco. Meanwhile Villa brought in Ryan Bertrand and Grant Holt on loan. Everton may have done the better business signing more calibre players, but it’s Aston Villa who have the better League form as of late. Everton tied against West Brom a fortnight ago and most recently lost to Liverpool 4-0. They’ve also lost a few of their best players through injury, Lukaku, Oviedo and Coleman are all out injured.
Aston Villa’s form has been mainly down to a change of formation, Lambert has outed to played a 4-3-1-2 formation with Weimann or Bacuna playing the centre-forward/attacking midfielder role. With Villa failing to attract an attacking midfielder to Villa, Bacuna and Weimann may be the players to fill that role.
Gareth Barry may play against his former club today. Barry made over 365 appearances for Aston Villa from 1998 to 2009 scoring 41 goals. In 2009 he moved to Manchester City for a transfer fee of £12 million.
Team News:
This might be the perfect time to face Everton. Romelu Lukaku is ruled out following an injury sustained against Liverpool last Tuesday. On-loan forward Lacina Traore is still 10 days away from being fit. Everton will also be without two key defenders, Seamus Coleman, Sylvian Distin are all ruled out with a hamstring injury. While Gerard Deulofeu is also out with a hamstring injury.
Aston Villa’s only fitness concern is Gabby Agbonlahor who sustained a foot injury against Liverpool. He will be given a late fitness test.
Match Facts:
– Everton have lost just one of their last 20 Barclays Premier League games at Goodison Park (W14 D5 L1).
– In Aston Villa’s last 10 Barclays Premier League away games they have either conceded exactly two goals (six times) or kept a clean sheet.
-Aston Villa have lost none of the last seven Premier League visits to Goodison Park (W2 D5) but the last four in a row have been draws.
-Gabriel Agbonlahor has scored seven Premier League goals against Everton, more than he has managed against any other opponent in the competition.
-Everton are looking for their 300th Premier League win, something Aston Villa achieved in midweek against West Brom.
Predicted Lineups:
Howard
Stones-Jagielka-Alcaraz-Baines
McCarthy-Barry
McGeady-Barkley-Osman
Mirallas
Benteke-Weimann
Bacuna
Delph-Westwood-El Ahmadi
Bertrand-Clark-Vlaar-Lowton
Guzan
Match Prediction:
Everton 1-1 Aston Villa
I think Aston Villa could nick a draw today. Everton haven’t been playing to well, I’ve watched their last recent games and they’re missing Coleman a lot. Everton’s defence also stands out because it’s not nearly as strong as it has been all season. Alcaraz was torn apart by Sturridge. I reckon Villa would have a greater chance of a victory if Agbonlahor was partnered with Benteke because the defence wouldn’t be able to deal with that. Weimann and Mirallas to scored. But for some reason, I don’t think this game will be too entertaining.
I quite fancy us to get at least a draw today.
I’m going with a Toffee who gets us free tickets in the Villa end, and I remember last season having far more confidence that we wouldn’t win last season when we were two up with about twenty minutes to play.
For me, this is a better side than we had last season, and I agree, it’s a pretty good time to play Everton.
Get stuck into them as we did against their nemesis a fortnight ago and I can see a win, though I’m confident we won’t lose.
Gabby in or out is key, not sure I’d start Holt if he’s out, would be happy to go with Adam’s side but would play Lowton at right back 😉
I’m really not surprised or disappointed that we didn’t pick up anyone in the window.
We’re not going down and eighth at best is probably beyond us.
Hopefully we can get to 36 in the next six games or so and then we can give some of the fringe players time on the pitch to gauge their abilities.
Gardner, Donacien, Albrighton, Carruthers & Helenius are all prospects, and we need to see if they can cut it for next season.
I’m laying Everton at 1/2 today, and I hope I’m not buying the drinks for the duration of the France v England game after the match, the Toffee is reluctant to give me the draw, bloody Scousers lol !
UTV !
I like your team Adam.. we should give Bacuna a few games as AM..
The kid really needs a good ten or so game run in ONE position.. think he could be a good player but needs to be played consistently in one position rather than moved around.. also new to the league so will take time to settle..
Can see a Bacuna special today… free kick into the top corner 🙂
Guzan
Lowton..Vlaar..Okore..Bertrand
Delph.. DM….AM..Bacuna
Benteke..Gabby
Two very good players from having a decent team lads.. add a winger in there too and we will be flying next season..
Have to go and find the Cabaye and Ben Arfa’s of this world..
RL may yet still turn out to be the luckiest clueless chairman in the premiership..
25M on three players in the summer.. it is not even breaking the bank in any shape or form…
everton 1 aston villa 3
if we can’t predict villa think of the nitemare martinez faces ~ will villa play like against pool or crystal place, i would definitely use the pool tactic blueprint,they are similar in style to pool, just everton offer less pace up front,
Nath same here mate1-3 villa we’re on a roller.UTV
Sorry guys think we will lose this. We are just too inconsistent and they are a good team, especially at home. If we can exploit their weakness at the back maybe, but we didn’t exactly look good at the back against WBA either.
2-0 Everton. Hope I’m wrong.
DSvilla. I fear that, if you look closely at our give away goals that’s what they will play for, hey I don’t want it but just being realistic Clarke and Lowton ? Well enough said, then El-Amardi he gives balls away. I’m begging for a win lads believe me but I see a 2-1 Everton.
There’s a good chance we’ll lose. I’ve noticed that the team’s plays worse when the fans have higher expectations. After the West Brom victory we all know Villa can get a point. But will the players deliver? Good thing we’re playing away today, that might help
no idea what to expect today, hoping we can carry on the form and attitude and yes everton have slowed just a little and have issues with injuries but lets not forget they are playing out of their skins this season and we only just recently lost to Sheffield utd at home.
think gabby will be key today(he is fully fit isn’t he?)as im sure Martinez will have the sense to at least try and contain benteke something west broms defence fell well short of mid week, benteke really has looked like his old self since he scored against arsenal.
confidence is up and this a team that seems to live or die by confidence.
and I hope to god we’ve been practising throw ins, every time we get a throw in we throw it up the line to a marked player who then looses the ball, we are literally better off letting the other team take them, I just don’t get it at all.
We have done that for many years NM. We also often take throws or free kicks further back than we need to. Other teams pinch as much as they can. On opposition throws we leave space for them to find a player under no pressure. Just basic bad tactics IMO.
and very, very important we hassle and get all over em like we did against pool and wba(after of course giving em a 2 goal head start)don’t give em an inch.
Naughtius if you look at what Liverpool did yes your right, both sides went at each other till Everton cracked, but having said that Everton did not give in with tackles, can we do the same, that person like Gerrard today and its ours, but ? Utv.
lol, awesome, everton are on football focus, this is excellent news imo as the arrival of footie focus at clubs like everton who are having an unexpected good season usually sounds the death knell of their season.
true, they done it to the baggies last season, west brom flying top 4, finally the bbc acknowledge there are clubs outside of Manchester and London but they went straight down hill after this. they’ve done it countless time to us under MON, ignore us until finally post xmas pundits start to whisper that we’re looking decent this season, footie focus visit we go from 3/4th to 10/11th in 6 games and finish 6/8th 😉
the real reason is of course that it usually takes the nation football media to look outside of London and Manchester until about jan/feb to acknowledge other upstarts no matter how well they are playing and of course the strength in depth tends to show itself this time too.
good omens, 6-1 Villa 😉
Holt at RB.. Are you serious? 🙂
I know, is that a typo?
I reckon Holt would be a fantastic right-back!
Who knows he might be better than Lowton defensively?
NM…was that you the other night questioning my sexuality. It made me laugh mate. But I think it was someone using your name! It was shortly after the Baggies match finished.
nah not me mate, I saw you post saying something to me but couldn’t work out what it related to.
an imposter! call the guards!!
Lo mate…i think it was a Baggie feeling a bit sad after we whupped em!
Yep he had a go at me too the bounder, Baggies twat so the say, hey Sunderland 2 up against Newcastle, Westham just scored against Swansea bloody tight this time lads.
Mate who the fuck ever said we’re safe,like you say it’s getting fucking tight down there.
poyet is doing an incredible job at sunderland considering the car crash of a club he took over after di canio, he’s had to marshal the same squad that was on their arse when he took over and now he’s done some transfer business I can only see them staying up.
lots of teams at the bottom did a lot of business, Fulham, crystal palace, sunderland, Cardiff, basically everyone apart from us(that said Bertrand was a good addition).
it will be tight and I wont be happy until we are mathematically safe, we’ve taken a gamble we can do it with the current squad and based on the last 2 games it should be ok but of course we can draw with a wildly in form Liverpool and come from 2 down in a derby to win but we can also loose against sheff utd and put in some shockingly feeble performances too.
consistency needs to be shown.
15 games to play and we need 4+ wins from those games should be a piece of piss but like I said, aswell as the last 2 great showings ive also seen us put in some shockers as we all have.
All them bottom teams beat us, Cyrstal Palace, Norwich, Newcastle, Stoke, I’m nervous mate.
oh him, I think you’re right, I was just slagging of the baggies fans at the time about being villa obsessed n one of em pops up just like that to prove my point perfectly fuckin illustrated.
he went away after that, lol 😀
I was playing around with the teams and I placed Holt as right-back by mistake. Haha, that would’ve been interesting had Lambert went with that!
He’d done a better job than lowton. 😀
Really hard to call this one, as their home record is very good, but so is ours at Goodison.
It really depends which team turns up, but I can’t see more than a draw, although a win would of course be great.
I’ll go for 2-2.
No Abonglahor El-mardi out Holt Starts Baker OK Clarke, OK , well should make a good game.