The most played fixture in the English top flight takes place this weekend as Everton welcome Aston Villa to Goodison Park.
Roberto Martinez's side have lacked consistency in the opening months of the season, while the Villans are rock bottom of the Premier League after a disastrous run of form.
Everton
© Getty Images
Although it has not been a poor start to the campaign for Everton, the Toffees have only shown brief glimpses of the quality that they have at their disposal.
They are currently in ninth spot in the Premier League table after the opening 12 rounds of fixtures, with hopes still high of a finish in the top six.
Victories like the 3-1 triumph over Chelsea and 3-0 win away to Southampton have heightened the expectations of fans, but they have also been brought down to earth with defeats against Manchester United and Arsenal.
However, the Toffees are unbeaten in their last three games and they signed off before the international break by coming from behind to share a 1-1 draw with West Ham United.
Prior to that clash at Upton Park, they produced one of their best attacking displays of the season to claim a 6-2 win over Sunderland, which was only their second home win in the league this season.
Romelu Lukaku scored twice in that match and the Belgian has been in impressive form for the Toffees this season. He has bagged seven goals in the league, with only Jamie Vardy (12) ahead of him, and rumours of a big-money transfer have significantly intensified.
Recent form: DLLWWD
Aston Vila
© Getty Images
In contrast to the promise that Everton have shown, it has been a truly forgetful opening to the season for Aston Villa and their supporters.
The Villans are stranded at the bottom of the table after claiming just one win in 12 games and they are already five points away from safety.
They had managed a victory in their opener away to Bournemouth, but in the three months that have followed they have picked up just two points.
Such a poor run of form led to Tim Sherwood being sacked last month, with former Lyon boss Remi Garde brought in to replace him.
The Frenchman has a difficult task in preserving the club's Premier League status, but in his first match in charge he guided his new team to a credible goalless draw against league leaders Manchester City.
He will be hoping that his team can start to get points on the board ahead of the crucial festive schedule, as another scrap against relegation seems an increasingly likely prospect.
Recent form: LLLLLD
Team News
© Getty Images
Everton could welcome back Tom Cleverley after his recovery from an ankle injury, but the game may come too soon for Leighton Baines, who is also back in training.
However, the Toffees are still struggling with a number of injury problems, and Phil Jagielka, Bryan Oviedo, Tony Hibbert and Steven Pienaar are all ruled out.
Meanwhile, Villa were dealt a blow by the news that Jordan Amavi will miss the rest of the season, having suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury while on international duty.
Rudy Gestede also picked up a knock while he was playing for Gabon, although his injury is not as serious, while Gabriel Agbonlahor is a doubt.
Everton possible starting lineup:
Howard, Coleman, Stones, Mori, Galloway, McCarthy, Barry, Deulofeu, Barkley, Kone, Lukaku
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Guzan, Hutton, Richards, Lescott, Richardson, Gueye, Sanchez, Veretout, Gil, Sinclair, Ayew
Head To Head
There are no teams who have played each other more often in English football history, and this weekend's meeting will be the 201st time that they have locked horns.
In recent years it is Everton who have proven the dominant side and they have lost just two of the 14 clashes between the teams.
The Toffees have also won the last two matches at Goodison, but the last game between the teams ended with a 3-2 victory for the Midlands outfit at Villa Park in May.
We say: Everton 2-0 Aston Villa
While the arrival of Garde will provide a boost for the Villans, the Frenchman will need time to get his ideas across and a quick fix doesn't seem likely. Meanwhile, Everton have been hard to predict in recent weeks, but they should have enough strength and quality in their attack to claim the three points.
No Data Analysis info
