Everton begin life after Rafael Benitez as the Toffees welcome Aston Villa to Goodison Park.
Victory could see Everton climb to 15th for a couple of hours at minimum, whereas a win would lift Villa up to tenth for at least Saturday evening.
Team News
Jarrad Branthwaite is a doubt for Everton as he nears a return from a hamstring injury which has kept him out for a month.
Fabian Delph (illness) could also feature but Alex Iwobi (international duty), Tom Davies (thigh) and Allan (illness) are ruled out.
Villa will welcome John McGinn back from suspension which forced him to miss their comeback draw against Manchester United last weekend.
Trezeguet, Bertrand Traore (both international duty), Leon Bailey (hamstring) and Marvelous Nakamba (knee) are ruled out.
Stat Attack
- Everton are winless in their last five meetings against Aston Villa (D2, L3).
- Villa have won just one of their last nine league visits to Goodison Park (W1, D5, L3).
- Two of Richarlison’s four league goals for Everton this season have been from headers.
- No Aston Villa player has been caught offside on more occasions this season than Ollie Watkins, who was caught offside on nine separate occasions.
- Everton are yet to lose a Premier League match under Duncan Ferguson’s management, after he previously took interim charge in December 2019 (W1, D2).
Prediction
Following a poor performance in their defeat at Norwich with awful defending and movement which cost Benitez his job, Everton simply need to focus on rediscovering their basic level under Duncan Ferguson who is yet to lose when in charge of the Toffees.
Villa though were defensively poor at times against Man Utd last weekend but were resilient in their pressing, which paid off with two quick-fire goals in which Philippe Coutinho and Jacob Ramsey linked up well and could prove a nightmare if they start together.
On that note, this should be a decent battle because Everton absolutely need to produce a reaction to try and get angry fans on side, whereas Villa will be eager to build on their late comeback but must cut out their defensive errors.
A draw therefore feels like a good bet because Villa are a robust team whereas Everton’s confidence looks fragile at present, although Ferguson’s presence will give them a lift.
Prediction: Everton 1-1 Aston Villa
Result: Everton 0-1 Aston Villa