Having won just three Premier League games all season, Aston Villa face the task of taking on Everton on home turf this Tuesday evening.
The Villans head into the fixture on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Stoke City, while Everton travel to Villa Park fresh having not had a game at the weekend.
Aston Villa
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Even the most dedicated Aston Villa fan must be accepting that the team are doomed for the Championship next season following a torrid few months.
As mentioned, the Midlands club have won just three of their 27 Premier League games and considering that they are eight points adrift of safety, it is difficult to see a way back for Remi Garde's side.
They head into Tuesday's game following back-to-back defeats, one of which was a 6-0 mauling by Liverpool and the other came in the form of a 2-1 loss to Stoke City.
Goals have been extremely hard to come by for the Villans as they have managed to get 21 into the back of the net and they recorded just six across January and February.
When playing at home, most clubs can use it to their advantage but Villa Park has not been a happy place for the club when teams from the top 10 come to visit.
On the last two occasions, Villa have allowed 10 goals to get past them and given Everton's attack-minded approach, Garde may instruct his players to sit deep and try to block the visitors' way through.
Villa are also at a disadvantage because Everton have had a weekend off due to their scheduled opponents Liverpool being in League Cup final action, which means that Garde's players will have to face Everton having had just two days between games.
Villa have 11 matches to retain their top-flight status, but they have been dealt a difficult run given that they face Everton, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in their next three league fixtures.
Off the pitch they are also facing some problems as a group of supporters are reportedly planning to stage a walkout at some point during the game on Tuesday.
Recent form: DDLWLL
Recent form (all competitions): DLLWLL
Everton
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There was some welcome news at Everton over the weekend that related to the club's activity away from the field.
It was confirmed on Saturday that Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri had completed a £175m takeover, which has resulted in him becoming a major shareholder.
Moshiri now owns 49.9% of the club, which he purchased from current chairman Bill Kenwright, and there have been reports that the businessman will hand over £100m to be spent on new players.
In Monday's pre-match press conference, manager Roberto Martinez claimed that the new investment means that the club need to aim higher, and from his point of view that is Champions League football.
At the moment, the Merseyside outfit are not close to making that ambition a reality as they are currently 12th in the league table, 12 points behind fourth-placed Manchester City with 12 games left to play.
The Toffees' last league outing did not go to plan as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion, whose only shot on target from Salomon Rondon in the 14th minute sealed the win.
Everton had the chance to win three top-flight games on the trot, but they squandered the opportunity despite having six shots on target and the majority of possession.
There is a chance that Tuesday's match at Villa could be a banana skin for Everton, but they are unbeaten in their last seven league games on the road having won two and drawn five.
Recent form: DDLWWL
Recent form (all competitions): LWWWLW
Team News
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Jordan Ayew will be available for Aston Villa on Tuesday as he has served a three-match suspension and could be thrown back into the starting XI by Garde.
The struggling side remain without the services of injured Carlos Sanchez, Adama Traore, Libor Kozak, Jordan Amavi and Jack Grealish, who may not return until the end of March after he suffered a setback in his recovery from an ankle problem.
As for Everton, John Stones, who is believed to be one of five defenders who will be a transfer target for Jose Mourinho should he take over at Manchester United, may return to the fold after spending a month out with a hamstring injury.
Ramiro Funes Mori and Phil Jagielka have been Martinez's centre-back pairing of late, but Stones may break that up if he is deemed fit to play.
Muhamed Besic remains out of the side due to a hamstring problem, but could return to action at the weekend.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Bunn; Richards, Okore, Lescott, Cissokho; Bacuna, Westwood, Gueye; Veretout, Carles Gil, Ayew
Everton possible starting lineup:
Robles; Oviedo, Stones, Jagielka, Coleman; Barry, McCarthy; Cleverley, Barkley, Lennon; Lukaku
Head To Head
Everton have already beaten Aston Villa this season thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley, who contributed to a 4-0 triumph at Goodison Park in November.
This is not the kindest of fixtures for Villa as they have only managed to win one of their last 10 top-flight games against the Merseyside outfit.
In terms of goals, Romelu Lukaku has done well against Villa as he has netted five in his four league appearances against the Midlands club, while Leon Osman has scored six in matches between the two sides.
Gabriel Agbonlahor has netted seven Premier League goals against Everton, which is more than against any other opponent.
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We say: Aston Villa 0-2 Everton
Villa are desperate for a win but given their record against Everton it is highly unlikely that they will kickstart a winning run on Tuesday night. Confidence is very low at Villa Park and despite Everton having lost their last league game they tend to create a handful of goalscoring opportunities, which they might find easy to convert given that Villa have conceded eight in their last two games. In addition, Everton are well rested having not played at the weekend so most spectators will be banking on an away win.
Danielle Joynson
