Premier League Betting: Everton v Aston Villa

Premier League / Richard Walker / 06 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Aston Villa's big problem this season has been inconsistency but David Moyes has problems of his own with Victor Anichebe the only fully-fit striker. A lot will rest on his very broad shoulders, says Richard Walker.

Far from maintaining the consistency that would befit a side genuinely courting a Champions League place this term, Aston Villa have turned into a frustrating mix of sometimes sublime, sometimes sub-standard.

It's a far cry from the days when fans of Sunday's visitors to Goodison Park were crying out for success of any kind, but with achievement comes expectation and Martin O'Neill must currently be one of the most frustrated managers in the Premier League - at his side's inability to group some results together.

For hosts Everton, however, we're once again left admiring David Moyes' managerial nous in being able to quickly reverse an ill-befitting start to the campaign with a solid run of just one defeat in seven.

He's got a job on Sunday, though, with three forwards - Yakubu, James Vaughan and Louis Saha (surprise?) - all well short of 100% fitness. The straightforward Scot's talking about one of them even possibly having to play, or at least provide cover for Victor Anichebe, the only fit striker left on the blue half of Merseyside.

It wouldn't be totally alien to the Toffees to play one up, but Anichebe doesn't really fit the lone striker bill too well. A young, raw, willing worker, his hold-up acumen is short of what'll be required against a typically compact Villa.

John Carew is the visitor's only notable absentee for a team who're kind of getting used to doing without him.

This top-seven Sunday Sky Sports clash sees the two teams hard to split for Match Odds favouritism. The home side are the marginally more fancied side at [2.76], Villa are [2.84]. For me, neither side stands out as certain enough winners to get involved at those prices, so I suggest backing The Draw at [3.4]. When the teams are hard to split, the odds themselves sort of push you towards The Draw.

If you're a layer not a backer, then Everton's attacking selection woes would force me down the route of laying the hosts to a [2.78] liability - hardly bank-busting stuff and keeping that no-so-unlikely draw on your side.

Given Moyes will probably set up to contain and pinch a 1-0 or something, Under 2.5 goals is the understandable leader in its market, [1.76] to back. Overs is [2.28] yet I couldn't proffer that forward with any degree of certainty. It would take an early away goal for that scenario to hove into view, I reckon, so perhaps one to leave until in-running?

Everton will be looking to goalscoring midfielder Tim Cahill to pop up with one, given their limited options. So him, along with opposition counterpart Ashley Young for Villa, are my to goalscoring choices. Both are too short for my liking in the To Score list (around [3.0]) so it's a split-stake job in the First Goalscorer market. Heading supremo Cahill is roughly [9.2] while dead-ball specialist Young rates a [10.5]. Cover them both, I suggest.

The [2.2] about The Draw at Half-Time will certainly be in my portfolio for this game - I fancy a cagey first 45. Draw/Draw [5.4] and Draw/Villa [7.6] from the Half-Time/Full-Time list should also merit consideration for what's likely to be a battle of tactical wits.