Everton vs. Aston Villa EPL Betting Breakfast: Can Coutinho Make the Club that Passed on him Pay on Saturday?
It's Week 23 in the English Premier League, and as usual, we have the biggest matches covered for you here on the EPL Betting Breakfast. Kicking things off this week, we look at a game fraught with imposing drama as hated adversaries renew rivalries in Liverpool. Reds legend Steven Gerrard and his club Aston Villa visit Goodison Park to take on Everton, who continues a dreadful slide down the table towards the dangerous relegation area. Not only is the hated Gerrard coming, but he's also bringing friends. Aston Villas latest signing, former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho is set to start versus The Toffees and further complicate matters on the blue side of Liverpool. After this week's sacking of Rafael Benitez, new interim boss Duncan Ferguson will have his hands full with the visiting Birmingham side loaded up with familiar red foes. Can Everton stop the rot with a new manager? We take a look at this unique grudge match of desperation on Merseyside but don't forget to head over to Fanduel Sportsbook, where you can check all the latest odds.
Everton vs. Aston Villa Match Information
Everton (5-4-10, 19 points: 16th) | Aston Villa (7-2-11 23 points: 13th)
Match Date: Saturday, January 22
Match Time: 7:30 am ET
Venue: Goodison Park – Liverpool, England
Everton vs. Aston Villa, Moneyline, Over/Under, and Odds
Moneyline: Everton +165| Draw +230 | Aston Villa +165
Over/Under 2.5 Goals: Over +106 | Under -128
Odds to be relegated: Everton +700 | Aston Villa +10000
Odds courtesy of Fanduel Sportsbook. Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk-free for up to $1,000!
Everton vs. Aston Villa, News, Analysis, and Picks
Everton vs. Aston Villa Predictions and Picks
- Aston Villa (+165)
- Anytime Goalscorer: Danny Ings (+145)
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and while Everton (+165) is still six points clear of the drop zone, current momentum has called the Everton front office into action. In mid-September, The Toffees sat on top of the EPL table and looked like a successful campaign was underway. The Everton demise has been spectacular as they now sit in 16th place, having won only two games since then and just one in their past 13. The dismal run has led to the unsurprising firing of Everton's most unpopular manager in history. Rafael Benitez, who led Liverpool to European glory in 2007, has even been the subject of Evertonian conspiracy theories, involving a plot that he was deliberately sabotaging the team because of his secret allegiance to the red side of town.
Like all good conspiracies, the circumstantial evidence abounds that Benitez was indeed a red agent. While his seven signings from the summer window have been dismal to average at best, it's the ones that got away that have aroused the most suspicion.
First, their best defender, French international Lucas Digne, was transferred out. Then, although Everton had agreed to sign Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho, Benitez inexplicably refused to ink the deal. The benefactor of these decisions is what really inspired Alex Jones-like chatter among Everton's support. Both Digne and Coutinho were signed by none other than the former Liverpool skipper and Rafa's good friend, Steven Gerrard.
With all kinds of forces, old and new, working in tandem against Everton, it's hard to see a way forward against a newly bolstered Aston Villa (+165). A side who had an impressive 2-2 draw against Manchester United last week, on the back of a Coutinho goal after being subbed on late in the game.
Look for Steven Gerrard and his men to add insult to injury this weekend as former Everton players, prospects, and rivals gang up on a hapless and distraught Everton. It's job done for special agent Benitez as the groundwork has been laid for an Aston Villa victory. Take Villa for the win and get your tinfoil hat ready as the plot thickens. Take another former Liverpool player in Danny Ings to score and complete the red conspiracy.
All EPL predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid
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