Coutinho call made as Emery drops defender: Aston Villa predicted starting XI gallery v Everton

Aston Villa will be relieved to get back on the road as they take on Premier League relegation battlers Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday. Unai Emery’s side are in desperate need of a strong performance having really struggled on home soil of late, with two consecutive 4-2 defeats.

There was of course a 3-1 away loss to Manchester City sandwiched in between, but not many would have expected Villa to get anything out of that particular fixture. Before the trip to the Etihad Stadium, Emery’s men were in top form on their travels with a hat-trick of wins against Brighton, Tottenham and Southampton.

The Lions will likely be encouraged by this record, though Everton are by no means a walkover. The Toffees have really struggled this campaign and they are only one point above the relegation zone, but they have vastly improved since the appointment of Sean Dyche as Frank Lampard’s successor.

Beating both Arsenal and Leeds United by a 1-0 scoreline in his first three games, it has been a wonderful start to life on Merseyside for Dyche. The derby at Liverpool ended in defeat but six points out of nine have soared the Toffees away from the bottom three.

Of the two teams, Everton are probably the more confident, even despite their inferior league position. Emery will be well aware of that and so some tactical nous will be in order for the Villans to collect anything from this clash.

With that in mind, here is the well-thought-out starting XI we think Emery will field. See below.