Everton vs Aston Villa - Five key battles and score prediction ahead of the Premier League clash
Everton are looking to continue their fine start to the season as they host Aston Villa at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
David Moyes’ side have won their last two league matches and sit in fifth heading into the fourth Premier League matchday.
Aston Villa are yet to register a win or a goal in the league this season, and Unai Emery’s side face a stern test to get back to winning ways.
Everton have a wretched record against Aston Villa, as the Toffees are yet to record a league victory against Saturday’s opponents since they were promoted back in 2019.
The fixture extends the record of the most played in English football, taking the total to 215 meetings.
In this article, Sports News Blitz’s Jon Shea previews the game, and highlights the key battles to watch out for.
James Tarkowski vs Ollie Watkins
It was Ollie Watkins who decided the affairs in this fixture last season, in a 1-0 at Goodison Park in David Moyes’ first match back at the club.
Watkins has not been firing on all cylinders - along with everyone else. Watkins does enjoy a game at Everton, netting at Goodison on three different occasions - but it is a different setting, so it remains to be seen whether he can continue his fine record.
James Tarkowski has had a shaky start to the season on all accounts despite Everton winning back-to-back matches.
It could easily have cost Everton a couple of goals against Brighton, and his sloppy start cost Everton a goal against Wolves when Hwang Hee-Chan ran off him to score at Molineux.
Tarkowski is missing his usual centre-back partner, Jarrad Branthwaite, who has been injured since the start of the season.
Branthwaite is nearing a return to the side, which will be welcome for Tarkowski to settle down after his erratic start to the season.
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Jack Grealish vs Matty Cash
Jack Grealish has only started two league matches for Everton, but it is safe to say he looks back to his brilliant best.
Grealish is back to being the main man in the team, a feeling he may not have felt since he left Aston Villa.
Grealish has registered four assists in his two starts in the Premier League - becoming the main point of David Moyes’ attack.
Grealish will be up against his boyhood club, a club he joined when he was six and left for £100 million in 2021.
An emotional game for the boy from Birmingham, but Moyes will be hoping he can put that aside for Saturday and produce the goods again.
He celebrated his 30th birthday on Wednesday, September 10, and what a gift three points would be against his former side.
Matty Cash is fresh from an impressive international break in which he scored in both of Poland’s matches, in the draw and win against the Netherlands and Finland, respectively.
He has had a testing start to the season with Villa losing over half of his duels and yet to register anything in an attacking sense.
Villa have conceded four in their last two matches - including a 3-0 defeat to Palace at home, last time out.
Villa fans will be hoping Cash can take his impressive international performances into the league and drive Villa back up the table.
Iliman Ndiaye vs Lucas Digne
Iliman Ndiaye has started the season in fine goal-scoring form with two goals in three league games. Top goal scorer last season and looks as though he is aiming to repeat the trick.
An instrumental cog in Everton’s attack, David Moyes will be relieved to see that Ndiaye arrived back from international duty unscathed.
Ndiaye is arguably one of Everton’s most exciting players and has been given the tools by David Moyes to play with freedom and confidence.
Lucas Digne, who left Everton for Villa in January 2022, will look to reclaim his place in the Villa left-back position.
Dutchman Ian Maatsen played last time out against Crystal Palace and struggled to make a real impression.
Digne has been one of the most creative left-backs in the Premier League in recent seasons, with a wand of a left foot that can cause danger for any defence.
He can be susceptible to a tricky winger, which Ndiaye will be looking to exploit on Saturday.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall vs Youri Tielemans
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored and assisted for the first time in an Everton shirt last time out, with his thunderous effort against Wolves sending Everton on their way to three points.
He has started every match so far this season and is proving himself as one of the most important players already.
The biggest aspect Everton have lacked in recent seasons is creativity, but he has contributed to a much more fluid attacking style under David Moyes.
His experience of winning trophies with Chelsea has contributed towards Dewsbury-Hall being a much wiser footballer, and he is proving to be an excellent signing, so far.
Youri Tielemans will be the man in the midfield battle with Everton, and he, too, has had a fine international break for Belgium, playing the full 90 minutes against Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein and even notching a brace against the latter.
Despite Villa’s indifferent start, the Belgian has played every minute, proving to be an important figure in Unai Emery’s midfield.
He will be looking to kickstart his season and repeat his fine form from last season, where he recorded 15 goal contributions in all competitions.
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Beto vs Ezri Konsa
David Moyes’ side will be a tale of Beto or Barry for much of this season, as they fight it out for the centre forward position.
Moyes has already said he will be swapping the two about throughout the season, but at the moment, Beto is leading the race.
The Guinea-Bissau international has scored in back-to-back matches against Mansfield and Wolves.
Beto was vital for David Moyes last season, and now, taking the number nine shirt, he will want the centre forward position for himself. There is only one way to do it - keep scoring goals.
He scored a classic centre-forward goal against Wolves - heading home from a few yards out and is always a nuisance for defenders with his strength and pace.
Ezri Konsa has had quite the week, scoring his first England goal against Serbia on Tuesday in a 5-goal display from Thomas Tuchel’s men.
Confidence he would love to take into Saturday and the rest of the season, and get Villa back on track, ahead of a busy schedule of four matches in twelve days for the Villains.
Score prediction
I believe it will be a tight affair, and with Everton breaking their Wolves drought last time out, I believe the Toffees will break their Aston Villa hoodoo on Saturday too.
David Moyes has Everton in a very good place at the moment, and I think it will continue.
Everton 2-0 Aston Villa
