Match Preview
Everton’s first Premier League fixture of 2024 is against Aston Villa in the televised afternoon fixture this Sunday.
The Blues saw out 2023 in dismal fashion with a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Wolves but were in much better form in the goalless FA Cup Third Round encounter against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on 4th January.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was sent off in controversial fashion in the closing stages of that tie but, with common sense prevailing and his red card having been rescinded by the Football Association, he will be available to face the high-flying Villans after all.
The game provides the striker with an opportunity to re-find his scoring boots having scored just once in his last 12 games. He was impressive in Everton’s Carabao Cup victory at Villa Park in September, scoring what proved to be the winner on what was terrific evening for Sean Dyche’s men but he has only found the net on one occasion since.
He was supported in attack that night by Arnaut Danjuma and the Dutchman could feature heavily again given that Dwight McNeil is highly doubtful for this one, despite his manager describing his availability as “touch-and-go” in his press conference at Finch Farm today.
McNeil was taken away from the pitch on a stretcher at Palace with what looked to be a serious ankle injury but Dyche explained that the swelling has settled down quickly and there is a possibility the winger could be ready for the midweek replay at Goodison.
The manager also dismissed the current speculation regarding Danjuma’s future, insisting that he remains in the club’s plans for the remainder of the season.
The former Tottenham loanee is the subject of an approach from Lyon who want to take him on loan until the summer, interest that has been confirmed by his agent. and have reportedly been in talks with Danjuma’s parent club, Sevilla this month.
“The situation is very simple, he is an Everton player. That’s it,” Dyche said. “He played the last game and has a fair chance of playing the next one. He has certainly never been out of our plans.
“He remains an Everton player and there isn’t really a story. I keep hearing quotes about him not being in our plans, I don’t know where they have come from. Nobody has asked me, but as I have been asked now, he is an Everton player and is part of what we do.”
Dyche is also hopeful that Abdoulaye Doucouré will be fully fit to face Villa after missing the last five matches with a hamstring problem. The Frenchman has trained this week and looks set to make his much-anticipated return to a side that will be without Idrissa Gueye who has joined up with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.
Doucouré is likely to take up his customary role behind Calvert-Lewin but the rest of the formation will depend on whether Dyche replicates the 3-5-2 formation he used in the cup tie at Villa Park.
It would mean deploying Michael Keane in the central-defensive three despite him struggling in that system against Wolves whereas a more conventional back four would allow the Toffees to play their own game on their own turf.
At the back, Seamus Coleman is likely to make his first Premier League start in over a month, getting the nod over fit-again Ashley Young, and Jordan Pickford will return between the posts after sitting out the FA Cup game against Palace.
Villa, who come into the weekend sitting in second place as the surprise package of the season, will give fitness tests to Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans after both resumed full training this week but former Everton fill-back, Lucas Digne, is ruled out with a hamstring injury.
That’s in addition to longer-term absentees Emiliano Buendia and Tyone Mings while Betrand Traoré is away at AfCon.
Unai Emery has plenty of quality in his ranks even with those injury concerns, with the likes of Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey providing goal threat and a history of finding the net against Everton. Both scored in the reverse fixture in August when the Villans ran out comfortable 4-0 winners.
Villa’s form in recent weeks has been excellent but they were beaten away at Machester United having led that game, were held 2-2 at Bournemouth and lost at Nottingham Forest in early November.
Prior to Christmas, Everton were one of the form teams in the Premier League, up there with Emery’s men, so if they can recapture some of the swagger and intensity now that Doucouré is back, the hope is they can put a dent in Villa’s title charge and push themselves away from the bottom three following today’s 1-1 draw between Burnley and Luton.
Kick-off: 2:00 pm, Sunday 14 January 2024
Referee: David Coote
VAR: Paul Tierney
Last Time: Everton 0 – 2 Aston Villa
Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite., Mykolenko, Onana, Garner, Harrison, Danjuma, Doucouré, Calvert-Lewin