Both on cloud nine following respective Premier League away triumphs at the weekend, Aston Villa and Everton meet at Villa Park for the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
The Lions overcame Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in their last Premier League affair, while the Toffees claimed their first top-flight win of the season at the Gtech Community Stadium, sinking Brentford 3-1.
Match preview
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Aston Villa's qualification for the Europa Conference League meant that the Lions were able to bypass the first two rounds of the EFL Cup, but they were handed a harsh welcome back to continental competition by Legia Warsaw, who came up trumps 3-2 in Thursday's opening encounter.
A well-rested Chelsea outfit sought to prolong Villa's misery on Sunday and subject Unai Emery's side to a third successive away defeat - having also been bested 3-0 on Liverpool's turf - but the expensively-assembled Blues were no match for the roar of the Lions at the weekend.
Yet to get off the mark in the 2023-24 Premier League before his side's journey to Stamford Bridge, Ollie Watkins's first of the season was worth the wait, as the Englishman saw one effort blocked before getting a second bite at the cherry and finishing expertly from a tight angle.
Had it not been for a few crucial interventions from Robert Sanchez, Chelsea's afternoon could have become all the more chastening, as Villa clinched their fourth triumph from six Premier League games to cement a sixth-placed standing in the embryonic table.
Also riding the wave of an extraordinary 10-game winning run at Villa Park, the hosts - who have not lost in front of their own fans since February's 4-2 beating by Arsenal - seek to avoid a third successive exit at this stage of the EFL Cup, having been eliminated by Manchester United and Chelsea in their last two third-round ties.
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A player who donned the red and white of Brentford for two years between 2014 and 2016 would be the one to sting the Bees at the weekend, as James Tarkowski marked his return to the English capital with a goal and assist to propel Everton to their first win of the season.
Capitalising on Brentford's ever-growing injury woes - which saw Kevin Schade sustain a groin problem in the warm-up - Tarkowski headed the ball down for Abdoulaye Doucoure to strike first, but Mathias Jensen managed to draw the Bees level before half time.
However, Tarkowski then wheeled away in celebration against his former employers after rising highest to nod home from a corner, before Dominic Calvert-Lewin rounded off the scoring in a terrific Toffees triumph - one which has lifted them away from danger into 15th place.
Prior to leaving the Gtech with all three points in the bag, Everton's only success in 2023-24 was their narrow 2-1 EFL Cup third-round win over Doncaster Rovers, but Sean Dyche's side are still without a clean sheet this season ahead of a daunting trek to the Villa Park fortress.
The Toffees have already been taught a footballing lesson once by Emery's side this year - suffering a 4-0 embarrassment on August 20 - and as is the case with Villa, Everton are also at risk of a third successive third-round elimination in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening.
Team News
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No Aston Villa players reported any fresh physical glitches following their memorable win over West London, leaving Emery with a quintet of injury concerns to work around, including long-term knee victims Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings.
Diego Carlos (thigh) and Timothy Iroegbunam (unspecified) are also out of the first-team picture for the time being, while Bertrand Traore - who would have been optimistic of a starting berth here - will need a once-over in the coming hours.
Even with an all-Premier League tie afoot, Emery will be expected to hand chances to the likes of Jhon Duran, Leon Bailey, Jacob Ramsey, Youri Tielemans and Clement Lenglet, while Lucas Digne could start against his old club, as Alex Moreno was not quite ready to take on Chelsea as he returns to full fitness from a hamstring issue.
Speaking of full-backs reuniting with their old employers, Wednesday's game will see Ashley Young make a swift return to the West Midlands following his summer departure, but the 38-year-old should be one of several players in line for a well-earned rest.
Everton boss Dyche will still be without Dele Alli (groin) and Seamus Coleman (knee) for the midweek clash, and the game is also expected to come too soon for Jack Harrison, while Andre Gomes will likely be a substitute at best amid his calf concern.
A rare start should come the way of Calvert-Lewin as the 26-year-old bids to exorcise his injury demons, and Dyche has opened the door to using a two-man strikeforce going forwards, so either Beto or Youssef Chermiti could link up with the Englishman at Villa Park.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Olsen; Chambers, Lenglet, Torres, Digne; Ramsey, Dendoncker, Tielemans; Diaby, Duran, Bailey
Everton possible starting lineup:
Virginia; Patterson, Godfrey, Keane, Mykolenko; Danjuma, Onana, Doucoure, Dobbin; Beto, Calvert-Lewin
We say: Aston Villa 3-1 Everton
Knockout surprises at Villa Park are nothing new, as the Lions memorably suffered an FA Cup giant killing versus Stevenage in January, but we are struggling to envisage a happy ending to Wednesday's tie for the visiting crop.
Over the past six months, Emery's men have been an unbeatable force at their headquarters, and even with two much-changed teams on the field, the Lions should comfortably progress to the next stage.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
