Game used for reference: Aston Villa 0-3 Crystal Palace, 2025/2026 Premier League, Round 3
Aston Villa has had a bad start to the Premier League season, only getting one point in three games. Their defensive line was exposed in their most recent match against Crystal Palace. There was no sense of urgency, and Crystal Palace consistently beat them on the wings and in the air.
They also created chances with through balls. Against the Toffees, they’ll want to control the pace of play and the midfield areas.
Luckily for Everton, they have players that can play good balls into the box and exploit Aston Villa’s defensive lapses. Specifically, Jack Grealish is a player who could open up Aston Villa’s shaky defense and give someone like Thierno Barry the option to dribble centrally and take a few shots.
Tyler Dibling could also be vital since Iliman Ndiaye’s status for the match is unclear l, as he has a small knock. The youngster could provide an overload in the final third and help Everton retain possession.
Offensively, Aston Villa haven’t scored a single goal, although they are capable of fireworks on a good day. With Jarrad Branthwaite still unavailable, it seems like fans can expect another game with Michael Keane and James Tarkowski as the center back duo. Keane has actually been pretty good so far, but Tarkowski has struggled without Branthwaite, and if he plays the way he did against Wolves, Everton might not get so lucky against a side that has something to prove at home.
The midfield battle will be interesting as former Evertonian Amadou Onana will not play. If Merlin Rohl is ready to play, perhaps James Garner can play right back and Jake O’Brien can join either Keane or Tarkowski in central defense.
Everton could legitimately get a good result out of this match, but they’ll have to knock Aston Villa’s tempo off and switch up their game plan.