David Moyes makes his return as Everton manager in a home clash against Aston Villa.
Victory will see Everton stay 16th in the table, whilst Villa can climb as high as sixth with a win if results elsewhere go their way.
Team News
Armando Broja is ruled out for Everton after he suffered a leg injury during their FA Cup win over Peterborough.
Seamus Coleman (calf) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (ankle) could return but Youssef Chermiti (thigh), Dwight McNeil (knee), James Garner (back) and Tim Iroegbunam (foot) remain absent.
Villa could welcome Emiliano Martinez back in goal after he missed their comeback FA Cup win over West Ham due to a minor injury.
Jhon Duran is available following completion of his three-match suspension, whilst Jaden Philogene (knock) is unlikely to feature amidst speculation over his future at the club.
Ross Barkley (calf) is a doubt but John McGinn (hamstring), Diego Carlos (foot) and Pau Torres (metatarsal) remain sidelined.
When is Kick-Off?
Everton host Villa at Goodison Park on Wednesday 15 January at 7:30pm GMT, live on TNT Sports 2 in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Everton are winless in their last 11 league meetings against Aston Villa (D3, L8).
- Villa have avoided defeat in their last five visits to Everton (W3, D2).
- Everton have failed to score in each of their last three home matches against Villa.
- The Toffees have failed to score in four of their last five league matches (D3, L2).
- Villa have lost each of their last five top-flight away games (L5).
Prediction
With Moyes now back at the helm, Everton now need to start finding goals and wins if want to move away from the relegation zone but they weren’t exactly clinical in their FA Cup win over Peterborough despite their dominance albeit without Calvert-Lewin.
Villa’s domestic away form is currently poor but they at least have goals within them and if they can show more creativity earlier than they managed against West Ham – especially in the first half, I can see them breaking down Everton’s defence and scoring a few goals.
Everton however will have the managerial change bounce but given their current performance state, I can’t see them having enough to beat Villa unless score first then sit deep.
Prediction: Everton 1-2 Aston Villa
Result: Everton 0-1 Aston Villa
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