Everton will lock horns with Aston Villa at Villa Park on Thursday night hoping to pick up a win on their travels. The Toffees will be heading into the contest on the back of a 1-0 win versus West Ham United, whereas the Villans recorded a disappointing 3-1 loss to Manchester United.
Carlo Ancelotti will probably opt for a 5-3-2 formation with several tweaks from the last game. James Rodriguez might get the nod over Gylfi Sigurdsson, whereas Adebayo Doucoure looks likely to make his way back into the starting eleven.
5-3-2 Everton Predicted Lineup To Face Aston Villa
Defence
Jordan Pickford is expected to start in goal for the upcoming away encounter. The English shot-stopper would hope to put up a strong performance and secure a clean sheet on his return from injury.
Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey might form the customary centre-half partnership with Yerry Mina at the heart of Everton’s backline as they look to prevent Dean Smith’s men from finding the back of the net throughout the 90 minutes.
Full-backs Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne will continue to operate down the right and left-hand side, respectively.
Midfield
Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan will slot in as the holding midfielders; however, the former could be assigned with more of a central role as his ball distribution could turn out to be decisive if the Toffees wish to dominate things at the centre of the park.
James Rodriguez looks set to make his return against Aston Villa in midweek.
“It is a little problem that happened in the warm-up, and I hope he will be available for Aston Villa next week.” – Carlo Ancelotti revealed.
The Colombian playmaker will slot in the attacking midfield role. He would be determined to engineer some clear-cut goal-scoring chances for the men up front.
Tom Davies will have to settle for a place on the bench but might be called on in the latter stages of the game if needed.
Attack
Richarlison should be fit to take up the left-striker spot on Thursday night as he seems set to create menace for Villa defenders in the wide areas.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin will spearhead Everton’s attack up top. The Englishman will fancy his chances of finding the back of the net when he faces off against the defence that has conceded ten goals in their last five matches across all competitions.
