Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
After the third round, the number of goals Everton have conceded has already entered double digits. They were the first club to reach this dubious milestone. Aston Villa have a prime opportunity to “improve” this statistic further.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa have only dropped points at home against Arsenal: a shot hitting the woodwork and the phenomenal reflexes of David Raya at 0:0 decided the outcome. During that match, key defender Matty Cash, who was already carrying a minor injury, aggravated it and is now expected to return around the end of September. Additionally, crucial attacking player Leon Bailey suffered a similar thigh injury just before the international break. Both losses are on the right flank. Defensive midfielder Amadou Onana also picked up a minor knock against Leicester but is expected to feature against his former club. Losing the Belgian would have been significant since he contributed to the victory over Leicester by scoring his second goal of the season.
Everton
It seemed like the match against Bournemouth would be the turning point for the team to emerge from their early-season crisis. They scored two goals in eight minutes early in the second half and were leading until the 87th minute, when a nightmare began for the fans at Goodison Park. They witnessed a collapse in just 10 minutes. The first win turned into a third defeat. Adding to their woes, captain Séamus Coleman got injured playing for Ireland against England. The veteran has spent more time recovering than playing in recent seasons.
Aston Villa — Everton Prediction
Both teams approach their head-to-head encounter with packed injury lists. The Birmingham club is the favourite, of course. However, the team have conceded in all three of their initial matches, and there have been at least three goals in all of Everton's Premier League games so far. The teams' injuries are likely to affect their defensive stability, so expect plenty of goals in this match.
