Match Preview: Everton v Aston Villa

By Taylor Fisher | 30th October 2009

Match Preview: Everton v Aston Villa | read this item

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Everton will be looking to reverse their downward spiral on Saturday when they host Aston Villa at Goodison Park. For me, this is that match of the week as we will watch two normally exciting clubs battle to move up the table. Aston Villa will be looking to keep up with the title chase, while Everton will be looking to move back to the part of the table they are a lot more accustomed to.

Everton

Team News

With nine first team regulars absent for their Carling Cup match this week, team physio Mick Rathbone has revealed that the Toffees will look to get one or two of those guys back into the squad come Saturday.

Jo is not worried about all of the regulars coming back and says that he is looking to thrive off of the competition for a starting spot. He said that he thinks that “competition for places is good because the more world-class players you have the better.”

David Moyes says that he expects much improvement out of a squad that gave up three goals to Bolton. Improving their defense this week is a must if they plan on walking away with three points against a strong Villa side.

Everton Form

Everton currently sit in 14th on the table with 11 points, but a much needed victory on Saturday could push them as high as 10th on the table.

Finishing is key for Everton this week. Through six matches this month, Everton have only scored six times.

Everton are currently 2-2-1 at Goodison Park this season, and they need to make sure that they keep up their strong home form.

Key Man: Tim Cahill. Louis Saha has been Mr. Consistency for the squad this season. Now it’s about time that some other players started stepping up. Tim Cahill is that guy. With only one league goal on the season, Cahill has not looked like the constant threat that he was last season. I’m expecting to see a very determined effort out of him on Saturday.

Aston Villa

Team News

Villa could find an additional three players returning to the squad come Saturday. Emile Heskey, Stephen Warnock, and Nigel Reo-Coker all picked up injuries in their Carling Cup victory against Sunderland midweek.

The Carling Cup quarterfinal draw is also on Saturday, but Villa won’t let that faze them. All of their attention will be on Everton regardless of who they will be matched up against in the quarters.

Brad Guzan may have been the hero against Sunderland during the middle of the week, but expect Brad Friedel to be back at his normal post for this match.

Aston Villa Form

Villa currently sit comfortably in 7th place on the table, but they want more. A victory could see them move as high as 3rd on the table.

After a hot start to the season, Villa have only won one match out of their last four. They need to make sure they don’t slow down much further if they plan on keeping pace with the top of the table.

With only one loss on the road this season, Aston Villa have yet to have any real trouble away from Villa Park, and they will look to ensure that remains the case this weekend.

Key Man: Richard Dunne. Yes, the recent Wednesday Wonder has shown himself capable of leading the team to victory in a variety of ways. With more goals than everybody except Gabriel Agbonlahor, the Villa defender has shown his versatility. They are going to need that against a deep and talented Everton squad.

Prediction

Given that Everton need to really step it up this week so they don’t slide further down the table, you may think that I would be quick to jump on an Everton victory. However, I know what Aston Villa is capable of. The goal scoring capability is there. Add to the fact that their goalkeeping is stellar, and we see that Villa is quite the force to beat.

I think that Everton are playing them at the right time, though. As I mentioned earlier, Villa have cooled off slightly. Everton have really yet to do anything, so now is the time. I was leaning toward a 2-2 draw, but David Moyes has really gotten on this squad for their poor performances. That is why I think that Everton will win 2-1.