Saturday 21st November 2015 Kickoff: 1500hrs
Everton v Aston Villa
Football – England – Premier League
Everton took four points from their last two league games to go into the international break in the top half of the table and, more importantly for the club’s supporters, above Liverpool – albeit only on goal difference. It was a relatively positive end to what has been a difficult part of the season for the Toffees where they faced Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal in consecutive weeks. The win over Sunderland was their only win in the space of five weeks and something that Roberto Martinez will hope acts as a catalyst to get back on the winning trail on a more regular basis. On paper the forthcoming weeks appears to present some more winnable games as three of their next four games come against sides in the bottom six, starting with a home game against the team at the very bottom of the pile on Saturday.
Remi Garde took charge of his first game as Aston Villa boss in the home match against Manchester City and it turned out to be a positive start for the former Lyon boss. Despite riding their luck on a number of occasions – and some dubious finishing from the league leaders – Villa managed to secure a morale-boosting point. It was a performance that should give the new coach belief and assurances that his current squad are committed to the challenge of keeping the club in the league, but it will also show that there are many areas of improvement. Their current position is course a further indication of that as they remain five points from safety and have accumulated just one win from their 12 games – that win coming on the first day of the season, back in August.
Everton’s 6-2 win over Sunderland was just their second win at Goodison Park this season which may not sound all that impressive, and when you factor in that they sit below teams such as Leicester City, West Ham and Crystal Palace, you could be forgiven for thinking that the campaign has been somewhat of a disappointment thus far. Delve a bit deeper and it’s not the case, however, as their only defeats have come against both Manchester clubs and Arsenal – three of the top four. Even the draws can be regarded as positives results in the main, but the challenge is to build on this solid start and begin climbing the table.
I have written before about the lack of creativity in this Aston Villa squad and that will be an issue for Garde as he builds towards his first transfer window over the next six weeks. Their record of 10 goals for is the joint worse in the league and their failure to score against City was the fifth time they have been shutout this season. Interestingly enough, though, it is at home where Villa have struggled the most, with four of those shutouts occurring when playing at Villa Park. That would suggest that their style seems to suit playing away from home as it allows them to use the pace they have on the counter attack to better effect. The lack of quality in the middle of the park does not lend itself well to building pressure which is one of the reasons for their struggles when hosting visiting teams.
Everton v Aston Villa Betting Tips
This is a game between two of the founding members of the Premier League, and two of only seven who have never been relegated from the top flight. Everton are definitely in a much more secure position at the moment and will be hoping to record another home win on the back of putting six by Sunderland. Villa have to try and build on an encouraging performance and result against City but a trip to Goodison Park is probably not one they are looking forward to having not recorded a win there since 2008.
This is a game I have been looking forward to over the international break due to it’s potential for goals. That may seem a touch strange as it involves a team that are statistically the lowest scorers in the league. Despite losing five of their six away games, Villa have scored in all bar one of those. The only team that they have not managed to score against on their travels is Chelsea. Four of Everton’s home games have seen three or more goals scored, and three of those have contained both teams scoring.
In terms of this fixture down the years, seven of the last nine overall – and eight of the last nine at Goodison – have included three or more goals. Trends like these may not be everybody’s cup of tea and they are admittedly small samples. That said, I am very positive about Villa’s chances of scoring at least once on Saturday, and when you factor in Everton’s price, two or more goals from the home team is not out the question. For those more ambitious, I would not put you off over 3.5 goals.
Over 2.5 goals 37/40 @ Betvictor
