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Everton face depleted Villa in must-win match

By Paul Conatzer

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JULY 16: Mbwana Samatta of Aston Villa and Seamus Coleman of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Aston Villa at Goodison Park on July 16, 2020 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images,)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JULY 16: Mbwana Samatta of Aston Villa and Seamus Coleman of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Aston Villa at Goodison Park on July 16, 2020 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images,) /
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Everton Manager Carlo Ancelotti has said the race for spots in Europe would go down to the last match of the season.

That’s all well and good, but for that final match to be meaningful, Everton has to keep on winning. After winning away at Arsenal, the last time out. The Blues have a chance to lay down a marker to the teams around them in the hunt for Europe.

A depleted Aston Villa will travel to Goodison on Saturday night to face a Blues team that hasn’t exactly been impressive in the Grand Old Lady.

They’ve picked up 19 points from 16 games at home with only five victories. Everton did look more impressive in a 2-2 draw against Spurs, which was marred by two terrible defensive errors to give Spurs their point.

So this is a must-win for the Blues and while they’re injury list has shrunk considerably; Villa’s makes for pretty grim reading.

Villa will be without their talismanic captain, Jack Grealish, the England international has missed nine games with a shin injury. Grealish, who has six goals and 12 assists has been missed as Villa has only two wins in the nine games he has missed.

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Villa manager Dean Smith told the Birmingham Mail He wasn’t sure when Grealish would be back.

Villa will also be without another midfielder in Morgan Sanson, who moved from Marseille during the January Transfer Window.

Grealish will be the biggest miss as his creativity make Villa a far better team. Grealish has been rumoured to be the target a number of other clubs, Everton among them.

Grealish won’t get a chance to impress Ancelotti on Saturday night at Goodison Park.

No matter, who Aston Villa plays it is a must-win match for the Toffees.

The Blues are currently in eighth, but only three points behind fifth-place West Ham with a game in hand in the hunt for European qualification.