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Everton’s disastrous marriage with Rafa Benitez finally came to an end during the week after an unforgivable defeat at Norwich left them just two places and six points above the bottom three.
His sacking was hardly surprising given Everton’s unforgivable run of form. They had taken just one point from their last four games and a meagre six points from their last 12 games in an astonishingly bad run of form that saw them claim just one victory and lose to all three promoted clubs.
Everton v Aston Villa – Saturday, January 22: 12.30pm
BT Sport 1
They are unsurprisingly the only team to achieve that feat this season and it remains to be seen whether they will receive a badly needed new manager bounce following Benitez’s departure.
It feels like Everton are currently broken beyond repair and it will take more than just a new manager to reverse their fortunes. Step in caretaker manager Duncan Ferguson, who has a huge job on his hands on Saturday against a formidable Aston Villa side.
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Aston Villa to win
Villa will be buoyed by last Saturday’s draw with Manchester United after they fought back from two goals down to claim a deserved 2-2 draw.
They have been inconsistent under Steven Gerrard, but the winter acquisitions of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne should help their cause.
It was Aston Villa who shattered Everton’s four-game undefeated run at the beginning of the season, and they can help prolong the Toffee’s suffering on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams to score
Everton may be on a precipitous slide down the Premier League table, but it has not been for a lack of goals. They have found the back of the net in each of their last six top-flight games, despite picking up just four points in that six-game spell, while they boast a relatively acceptable goalscoring record of 24 goals in their 19 league games to date this season.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, have kept just two clean sheets in their last 13 league games, giving Everton a reasonable chance of scoring on Saturday. At the end, Villa have scored the second-most goals of any side in the bottom half and will almost certainly score against a porous Everton defence.
They have scored in eight of their nine league games under Gerrard and should have little trouble making that nine in ten against a team that has kept just three clean sheets all season and none in their last eight games.
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Ollie Watkins to score anytime
It has been a relatively difficult season for Ollie Watkins and his fellow Aston Villa forwards. He’s scored just five league goals but is Villa’s top scorer at midway through the season, with Danny Ings failing to have the same kind of goalscoring impact he had at Southampton.
Watkins remains Villa’s main goalscoring threat and is the most likely player to find the back of the net at Goodison on Saturday.
He has scored three goals in nine league appearances since Gerrard took over at Villa Park, the most of any Villa player. Watkins also scored in a 2-1 win at Goodison Park last season and can help Villa secure a similar outcome on Saturday.
Lucas Digne anytime assist
Lucas Digne makes a rather quick return to Goodison Park after departing Everton for Aston Villa just two weeks ago, and the French full back can come back to haunt his former side on Saturday.
Digne is surprisingly yet to register an assist this season – for Everton or Villa – but possesses all the tools to hurt his former club. He averages more than one cross per game in the league this season, averaging almost two key passes per game.
Meanwhile, Everton boast the second-worst defensive record in the league from set pieces, conceding a whopping 11 this season. Digne’s cultured left foot can help wreak havoc on his former defensive unit.
Everton v Aston Villa Bet Builder tips
Aston Villa to win
Both teams to score
Ollie Watkins to score anytime
Lucas Digne anytime assist
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