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Recommended bets
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Match preview
Having won both home matches in charge, will Sean Dyche’s perfect start at Goodison continue?
Last weekend, Séamus Coleman got the only goal, volleying home from a tight angle, deceiving everybody including, crucially, Leeds’ goalkeeper.
That made it back-to-back home wins for the Toffees, who also beat league-leaders Arsenal by the same 1-0 scoreline a fortnight earlier.
In-between, the Blues were pretty pitiful at Anfield, easily beaten 2-0 in the Merseyside derby.
Nevertheless, Everton start the weekend 16th, a point clear of danger, which is a vastly healthy position than where they were at the start of this month.
So, will the Toffees win three successive Premier League home matches for the first time since September 2021?
The Villans led twice in that match, Ollie Watkins and Philippe Coutinho on target, but were eventually beaten 4-2.
Stoppage time was not Emi Martínez’s time, with the goalkeeper, inadvertently, nodding his former club in front, before being caught up the other end of the field, seeking an equaliser from a Villa corner, but this didn’t go to plan.
So, Unai Emery’s side have lost all three matches in February, conceding 11 times, despite winning six out of nine beforehand, shipping just seven goals across those fixtures.
Despite this down-turn in results, the Claret and Blue Army do remain 11th.
Villa won 2-1 when these two met in the Midlands in August, so have actually won their last three meetings with Everton, and are unbeaten in seven encounters overall.
So, will the Villans record four successive victories over the Toffees for the first time since 1998?
Everton team news
With Dominic Calvert-Lewin out injured again, Neal Maupay is likely to lead the line again; he’s scored just once since arriving from Brighton.
Centre-forward aside, Sean Dyche has named an unchanged team for all three matches in charge.
With Nathan Patterson nursing a knee injury, last weekend’s match-winner Séamus Coleman will keep his place at right-back.
Midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye made 38 appearances for Aston Villa, but this’ll be his first appearance against the club he left seven years ago.
Predicted XI (4-5-1): Pickford; Coleman, Tarkowski, Coady, Mykolenko; Doucouré, Gana Gueye, Onana, Iwobi, McNeil; Maupay.
Aston Villa team news
Speaking of players facing their former employers, Lucas Digne has won both meetings with Everton since leaving the Blues 13 months ago.
He could return at left-back, in place of new signing Álex Moreno.
Elsewhere, Jacob Ramsey and Leon Bailey were also surprisingly left on the bench against Arsenal, but are likely to return here.
Jhon Durán has come close to scoring in both substitute appearances, so will continue to be a threat, when he gets on.
Predicted XI (4-4-2): Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Douglas Luiz, Kamara, McGinn, Ramsey; Bailey, Watkins.
Everton vs Aston Villa: Head to head statistics
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Premier League table
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