Mark Lawrenson backs Aston Villa to beat Everton
Mark Lawrenson has backed Aston Villa to beat Everton on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League.
The Toffees have started the season on fire under Rafa Benitez, and are currently unbeaten as things stand.
Lawrenson has predicted that it will finish 2-1 at Villa Park, with Dean Smith backed to nick the points.
Writing in his BBC predictions column, Lawrenson predicted that the home side will cause big problems.
“Well, the Rafael Benitez revival continues at Everton – he changed the team around to spark their fightback to beat Burnley,” he wrote.
“Aston Villa lost at Chelsea last weekend but they were right in that game for a long time – they had plenty of chances in the first half.
“It will be close, but I fancy Dean Smith’s side to nick the points here. As good as Everton are, we saw them wobble in that game against the Clarets and I can see Villa causing them problems too.”
Wobble?
With Rafa at the helm, it is easy to go to each game believing that three points are coming 90 minutes later.
Starting with defensive solidarity helps massively, and have a strong structure throughout the pitch is helping the attacking players express themselves with ease.
Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend are just two of the prime examples, and they will be looking to influence this one just as did against Burnley.
Villa missed numerous chances against Chelsea last time out, but if they defend as they did at Stamford Bridge, the Toffees will be confident of finding the back of the net more than once.
Benitez has his side playing some of the best football they have in years, and it is time to bring that consistency that has been alongside that.
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