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All eyes will be on the touchline today, just in case something kicks off and both old rivals Liverpool and Chelsea exchange heated exchanges… but there’s really no point. All friends here!
BT chat with Everton new boy Conor Coady. “It’s been a really good week. It was a no-brainer coming here, the guys were amazing. I loved training but I’m so happy that match day is here, it’s what we live for. I got goosebumps on the phone thinking: I’m talking to Frank Lampard here. It was a bit surreal. But I listened to his every word and how he talked about the club. I’m 29, I want to play as many games as possible and I want to help Everton Football Club, that’s all I want to do. Every player wants to go to the World Cup, but there are amazing players fighting for that position, so it’s up to me to help this club as much as I can. It was hard not playing, so to come here is amazing. Being here is a moment of real pride. I have Evertonians in the family!” All this delivered at 1,001 words per minute, with barely a breath between sentences. He is ready for it.
Steven Gerrard spoke to BT Sport. “Tyron Mings is completely healthy. I know I took away his captaincy, but I didn’t take away his position. He is well trained. We’ve been vulnerable to standard pieces, so his profile will be very important for us. I always try to be honest. I inherited the captain situation and wanted to put my own stamp on it. I wanted it to be my choice. I hope in the long term it will help Tyrone with his consistency because we’ve all seen he can be a top central midfielder.” He also names Roy Keane as his dream midfield partner, in the spirit of the Premier League’s 30th birthday celebrations. To be fair, the question forbade him to pick Frank Lampard, so let’s not cause too much trouble.
Tyrone Mings starts for Aston Villa. The suspended captain replaces Ezri Konsa, the only change to the team beaten at Bournemouth last weekend.
Conor Coady makes his Everton debut. He is one of two changes after Chelsea’s loss, with Mason Holgate also starting, filling holes left by the injured Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina.
The teams
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Diego Carlos, Mings, Digne, Ramsey, Camara, McGinn, Watkins, Ings, Coutinho. Subs: Konsa, Douglas Lewis, Buendia, Chambers, Augustinson, Young, Olsen, Bailey, Archer.
Everton: Pickford, Patterson, Holgate, Coady, Tarkowski, Mikolenko, McNeill, Ducourt, Iwobi, Gray, Gordon. Subs: Keane, Onana, Begovic, Alli, Coleman, Davies, Ruben Vinagre, Rondon, Mills.
Referee: Michael Oliver.
Preamble
For a certain vintage of fans, this fixture instantly recalls the unforgettable 6-2 of 1989, Graham Taylor’s Villa up, Everton heading the other way, their mid-80s splendor officially over. Great teams and the football wasn’t bad either.
But enough nostalgia, even if this is the most played match in the history of the English championship. It’s here and now, the first managerial meeting between Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, England’s dream midfield pairing of the Noughties. Neither manager’s coattails are hanging on a peg…not yet…but rumblings of discontent will not be far away if they follow miserable opening day defeats with a second loss. Villa did the double over relegation-chasing Everton last season, far outscoring in both games, but this time around the Toffees have some fresh defensive strength in Conor Coady and Amadou Onana. Villa have the historical advantage at 77 wins to 76 in 208 games; then the 56th draw? It starts at 12:30 p.m. It’s on!
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