Everton dey set to welcome Aston Villa go Hill Dickinson Stadium for di second Premier League match wey dem go play for dia new home dis Saturday afternoon.
Confidence dey high for di Toffees afta dem grab two back-to-back wins before international break, but for Unai Emery and him Villa boys, dis new season na pure nightmare so far.
Match Preview
Normally, Everton dey always dey struggle for August – just one point for di last three seasons combined – but dis time dem dey sit pretty for 5th with six points afta back-to-back wins.
David Moyes men beat Brighton 2-0 for di grand opening of di new stadium, then waka go Wolves side collect 3-2 win. Jack Grealish shine again with two assists – just as e do against Brighton – and e dey eager to show levels against him boyhood club Aston Villa dis weekend.
Everton dey enjoy serious form – five wins inside dia last six league games – which na di same number of wins wey dem manage inside 21 games before dat. In fact, since May, no club don collect more Premier League points pass Everton (16).
Meanwhile, Aston Villa story dey different. Dem never score any goal for Premier League dis season, and dem just chop 3-0 beating for home against Crystal Palace. Dem dey sit bottom with Wolves, and Unai Emery must turn tins around sharp-sharp if dem no wan enter crisis mode.
History dey back Villa small sha – Everton never win any of di 12 meetings between both sides since 2019. In fact, Villa don keep four clean sheets for a row against Everton away – di longest run for dia history. But with zero goals dis season, dem dey dance on dangerous ground.
Form Guide
Everton Premier League form: W W L
Everton all competitions: W W W L
Aston Villa Premier League form: L L D
Team News
Everton fans dey enjoy Grealish for blue shirt again, and if he assist two goals for dis game, he go be di first player for Premier League history to record two assists for three straight matches.
Beto dey bang goals steady under Moyes, but Thierno Barry still dey wait for chance. Mykolenko miss Ukraine duty and likely go miss dis game too, same as Branthwaite. New signing Merlin Rohl fit debut afta him deadline day move.
For Villa side, Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley (both ex-Everton men) dey doubtful. Cash dey carry quad injury, Kamara never ready, and Andres Garcia dey ruled out. Harvey Elliott (Liverpool loanee) and Jadon Sancho dey push for debuts.
Possible Lineups
Everton XI: Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Garner; Gueye, Iroegbunam; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Konsa, Pau Torres, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Tielemans, Elliott; Malen, Watkins, Rogers
Prediction
We Say: Everton 1-1 Aston Villa
Everton dey in form, but Villa dey always get dem number – 12 meetings without Everton win no be small. Villa get too much talent to continue blanking, so dem fit finally score but share points for dis one.
Final Word
Na tough clash dey load – one team dey fly with new confidence, another dey fight to escape early season wahala. Anyhow e be, dis game na litmus test for both teams’ season direction.
