**** This is archived content **** - View Full Archive
Everton vs Aston Villa
By Simon Hopper
Last updated: 09:33 Sunday, December 7, 2008
This promises to be a fascinating match-up as the two sides with the best credentials to break in the top four go head to head at Goodison Park.
Everton & Aston Villa, 7th & 5th respectively, are breathing down Arsenal’s neck and three points against their direct rivals for Champions League football is an enormous incentive to have in front of the Sky cameras on Sunday.
It didn’t look as if Everton would be 4 points from 4th in October but a superb run of just one defeat in their last 7 has launched them up the table and put them joint top of the form book with 13 points from a last 18 available. This form continued with a highly credible 1-0 win at resurgent Tottenham last Sunday, Harry Redknapp’s first home defeat in charge, and they even seem to have sorted out their home problems with no defeats in their last 4 at Goodison. However, the season-long injury picked up by Yakubu at White Hart Lane is a massive blow – with the injury prone Louis Saha also on the treatment table yet again, David Moyes is looking very short of options up front coming into the always hectic Christmas period.
Villa are also looking solid after that stunning 2-0 win at Arsenal being followed up with home 0-0 draws against Man United & Fulham: that’s no goals conceded in their last 3 and only 4 sides have conceded fewer goals than Martin O’Neill’s side this term. Their poor form last month (with defeats to Middlesbrough & Newcastle) can be attributed to a congested fixture schedule (6 games in 17 days) which has eased significantly in recent weeks, hence the upturn in results again. The Villains’ away record is also decent, with 4 wins from 7 and just 9 goals conceded on the road all season.
Traditionally, games between the two have been tight though Everton are yet to beat Villa with O’Neill at the helm – this fixture ended 2-2 last term and the draw is 12/5 this time, with the hosts a BP 33/20 and the visitors at 15/8.
The most important aspect of this fixture to consider could well be the absence of Yakubu as it makes under 2.5 goals at 8/11 even more appealing. Everton’s back line looks to be back to its best (remember this team let in just 33 goals all of last season), having conceded just 3 in their last 6 games and kept another clean sheet at White Hart Lane last time out. At home, under 2.5 backers would have been rewarded in the last 3 consecutive Goodison Park fixtures but with just 2 goals scored themselves in their last 3 matches, the Toffees look ready for a low scoring affair on Sunday. Villa have the 5th best defensive record in the division and didn’t conceded in either recent game with Arsenal or Man United which is a great omen coming here. However, they are also short of goals themselves with just 3 in their last 5 so everything looks set for a solid defensive day on Merseyside.
With two evenly matched teams squaring off you could also do much worse than back the draw at 12/5. Both sides look solid at present and with Villa’s small squad having played another UEFA Cup game on Thursday, they might just not quite be at their sharpest. But Everton only really have Victor Anichebe to turn to up front so the hosts lack their usual firepower and it would be no surprise to see both sides leave with a well-earned point.
Recommended Bets - 4 pts - Under 2.5 Goals, 8/11
Recommended Bets - 3 pts - Draw, 12/5
Use our betting partner's FREE BETS and OFFERS to win even more
Rams To The Slaughter!
Derby v Man Utd
Carling Cup Semi-Final, 1st Leg - (Weds) - If Man Utd win this match by 3 or more goals Paddy Power will refund all losing 1st/last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast singles on the match.
Click here to get this offer
£100 FREE BET
Stage 1: Open an account with Sportingbet
Stage 2: Bet up to £25 and receive a Free Bet of the same value.
Stage 3: Place a further 10 bets with stake £15 or more to receive the remaining £75 of the bonus.
Click here to get this offer
FREE £200 BET
Take advantage of €/£200 in Free Bets with Boylesports. 1st Bet is matched up to a max of €/£50. Have 5 more bets and get the average of your bets up to a max of €/£50
Click here to get this offer
£100 BET BASKET
£100 BET BASKET with bet365 FREE BET BASKET
Register with bet365 for up to £100 in free bets! Your first bet will be matched with a free bet (up to £25), with a further 3 x £25 free bets available once you’ve placed an additional 5, 10 and 15 bets with bet365.
Click here to get this offer
£25 FREE BET
Register an account today with betdirect.com and you will receive a Free Bet of 25 when you stake £25 on your first bet. Ts&Cs apply
Click here to get this offer
Live Prices Till The Off
Sign up with Blue Square and take advantage of more choices. Blue SQ will price each horse race throughout the day until the off, giving you the option of their prices or SP.
Click here to get this offer
FREE £25 BET
Open an account with Paddy Power today and whatever your first bet is, Paddy Power will match it up to a max of £25
Click here to get this offer
Free £25 Bet
Win/lose a total of £100 with WBX.com within your first three months of becoming a Member and a £25 free bet token will automatically be credited to your WBX account. See site for Ts&Cs and more details
Click here to get this offer
Free €30 Bet
Just register at bwin, deposit at least EUR 10 into your betting account within 10 days after your registration and they will double your amount up to EUR 30.
Good luck with your first bets!
Click here to get this offer
100% Deposit Bonus
Playing with Jetbull pays! Each new customer depositing money to his/her Jetbull.com account is automatically entitled to get a bonus amounting 100% of his deposit up to 100 EUR!
Click here to get this offer
£200 BET
Open a Sporting Index a/c & place 5 bets (each bet must have the potential to win & lose £20 or more) & they will give you a £200 Total Goals bet on any live UK, Champ Lge or UEFA Cup game.
Click here to get this offer
FREE £50 BET
Open an account with VC Bet and they will match your first bet stake with a free bet up to a maximum of £25. Then place five more real money bets of £10 or more and they will give you another £25 free bet!
Click here to get this offer
£50 FREE BET
Betfred is offering all new online, customers a free bet of up to £50!
To get your free bet of up to £50, open an account, place your bet of £5 or more and they will give you a free bet to the same value, up to a max of £50.
Click here to get this offer
25% UK RACING REBATE
Get a return on every UK racing bet you make with a 25% Cashback Rebate, plus top coin with Best Odds Guaranteed. Bet ‘In-Play’ on 500+ football games weekly and score – only at Canbet.com!
Click here to get this offer
Free £25 Bet
Did you know you can still place minimal bets of £2 and don’t have to deposit hundreds to get started?
Deposit £25, place your 1st matched bet of £25, and Betdaq will give you another £25 to play with!
Simply use the code 3MAF08 during the registration process to ensure you get your FREE £25 BET.
Click here to get this offer
Best Odds Guaranteed & SP+
On all UK Horse Racing - Take the price on your selection and if the starting price ends up higher than the odds you take, Canbet will pay you at the bigger price, that’s the Best Odds Guaranteed promise. Take SP+ and be guaranteed to be paid higher than SP, every race every day!
Click here to get this offer
Best Odds Guaranteed
Sign up with William Hill and take advantage of the Best Odds Guaranteed on every UK & Ireland horse race online today.
Click here to get this offer
Sign up
Register with Skybet and receive daily offers and a wide selection of BestPriced odds on a variety of sports
Click here to get this offer