James Garner and Demarai Gray to start as Amadou Onana to miss out – Everton predicted XI v Aston Villa
Sean Dyche could look to make a few changes to his Everton starting lineup to take on Aston Villa in a crunch Premier League clash on Saturday (25 February).
The Toffees made it two wins in three games under Dyche’s management when they beat Leeds 1-0 at Goodison Park last week (18 February), climbing out of the relegation zone in the process.
With another home game now this is a chance for the side to string together some momentum with another win, but with some injury problems the manager has a decision to make on what team to put out.
Jordan Pickford predictably kept his place in the starting lineup against Leeds despite his mistakes against Liverpool, so there is no reason for him to come out of the side now after keeping a clean sheet last time out.
Seamus Coleman’s goal at the weekend should see him keep his place too, although Nathan Patterson has recovered from injury and is ready to compete to earn his starting spot back on the right.
Conor Coady and James Tarkowski’s partnership in the middle has shown no signs of being broken up and that’s unlikely to change here, while Vitalii Mykolenko put together a good showing at left-back after recent criticism for his performances.
In midfield Idrissa Gueye should keep his place as the holding player with his energy and battling qualities something that Dyche is sure to be a big fan of, while Abdoulaye Doucoure has rewarded the boss with fantastic performances since being brought back into the side.
Amadou Onana looks likely to miss the game after suffering a knee injury against Leeds, which should open the door for summer signing James Garner to make his first start of the season following his recent return from injury as the most creative option.
That should keep Alex Iwobi on the right wing, where Dyche has preferred him so far for his work rate and ability to drive with the ball, while Dwight McNeil has secured the left wing spot for himself under his former boss at Burnley.
The Everton striker position is well and truly up for grabs however. Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s fitness is a major problem, while Neal Maupay and Ellis Simms failed to impress in their opportunities from the start in the previous two games.
Demarai Gray is the team’s top scorer so far this season, and that should be the opportunity for him to make a run of starts in the side starting with this game.
Everton predicted XI v Aston Villa: Pickford; Coleman, Tarkowski, Coady, Mykolenko; Gueye, Doucoure, Garner; Iwobi, Gray, McNeil