Key events
A tale of two midfielders: Having moved in opposite directions along the M6 during the summer, Everton’s Tim Oregbunam and Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana will go toe to toe as they face their former clubs this evening.
As things stand, it could be argued that Iroegbunam has got the dirty end of that particular stick, while Onana has got his Aston Villa career off to a flyer, scoring two goals in his first three games for them.
How things stand: Following Liverpool’s shock home defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest this afternoon, a win tonight will send Aston Villa level on points with Arne Slot’s side, who are currently second in the table, three points behind Manchester City. A win for Everton will take them from the foot of the table to the dizzy heights of 15th.
Today’s match officials
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Referee: Craig Pawson.
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Assistant referees: Simon Bennett and Dan Robathan.
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Fourth official: David Webb.
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VAR: David Coote.
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Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis.
Aston Villa: The club’s eye-popping Champions League pricing has rankled the fanbase amid planned protests at tonight’s match against Everton. Ben Fisher reports …
Sean Dyche: “It’s my responsibility”
Speaking ahead of today’s game, Everton’s manager was asked about his side’s collapse last time out against Bournemouth, in a match where they lost 3-2, despite being two goals up after 87 minutes.
“We’re all disappointed with that and inevitably it’s my responsibility,” he said. “The players, I’d like to think, over 20 months here, have learned to deal with those situations. We obviously didn’t on the day. We didn’t do the things that were necessary to see the game through and we’ve got to continually learn from that.
“The game is never over. How we deal with that, it is more reminders. We have a group of players who are mature enough to know at that stage of the game to see it through and we just didn’t do that.”
Those teams: In a selection that is bound to prompt eyerolls among members of the travelling support, Sean Dyche makes just one change to the side that started against Bournemouth and it’s been forced by injury. Ashley Young comes in at right-back for Seamus Coleman.
Unai Emery also makes one change to the side that beat Leicester City last time out. Jacob Ramsey comes in for the hamstrung Leon Bailey.
Aston Villa v Everton line-ups
Aston Villa: Martinez, Bogarde, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Ramsey, Watkins.
Subs: Gauci, Diego Carlos, Barkley, Duran, Buendia, Philogene, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Young.
Everton: Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Iroegbunam, Gueye, Harrison, Ndiaye, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin.
Subs: Virginia, Mangala, Beto, O’Brien, Doucoure, Lindstrom, Garner, Armstrong, Dixon.
Early team news
Leon Bailey (hamstring) and Matty Cash (thigh) are both out for Villa, who are ready to welcome Jaden Philogene and Dieigo Carlos back from injury. Tyrone Mings is back in full training following his recovery from the knee injury that has kept him sidelined for over a year and it will not be a massive surprise if he features in today’s matchday squad.
Orel Malanga is available for selection for Everton following his deadline day loan move from Lyon, but Armando Broja, brought in on loan on the same day from Chelsea, is out with injury. Everton defenders Jarrad Brantwaithe and Nathan Patterson are both yet to play for Everton this season and remain out injured, while Seamus Coleman is a doubt after picking up an injury while on international duty with the Republic of Ireland.
Aston Villa v Everton
Premier League: Without a Premier League point on the board and having seen their team soil the sheets in quite extraordinary fashion last time out, Everton’s fans have had a fortnight to stew over the manner in which Sean Dyche and his players somehow snatched a morale-sapping defeat from the jaws of apparently easy victory against Bournemouth.
They travel to face Aston Villa, whose club hierarchy incensed fans with the recent announcement that tickets to see their club compete in the Champions League this season will be prohibitively expensive for many season ticket holders who would like to see their team play in Europe’s top competition for the first time in 30 years.
With a trip to Switzerland to face Young Boys on Tuesday looming, Unai Emery will need to keep his players focussed on the more mundane domestic business in hand, while Dyche has to try and pick his off the floor in order to kick-start a season that has been little short of disastrous for Everton so far. Kick-off is at 5.30pm but we’ll have team news and build-up in the meantime.
