After winning the managerial battle against Frank Lampard in Aston Villa’s 2-1 win over Everton, Steven Gerrard will meet another fellow Premier League legend Patrick Vieira on the sidelines on Saturday afternoon. Vieira’s Crystal Palace frustrated Gerrard’s former team, Liverpool, at Anfield, forcing them to a 1-1 draw. Can this performance inspire Palace to secure their first win of the season? Or is it going to be two wins on the bounce for the visiting side?
Crystal Palace
In an eventful Monday night fixture, Crystal Palace snatched a point away from Jürgen Klopp’s men. Unfazed by the raucous Anfield atmosphere, Wilfried Zaha guided a brilliant Eberechi Eze pass into the goal, beating the Reds custodian Alisson Becker. The balance of the tie tipped towards the Eagles even more, when referee Paul Tierney gave Darwin Núñez, Liverpool’s £85m summer signing, his marching orders. Luis Díaz levelled the scores right after the hour mark, but Palace managed to keep the 10-men Liverpool at bay for the rest of the time.
The hard-fought point at Anfield was a morale-boosting achievement for Palace, who suffered a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League curtain raiser. It was a clear sign of their progress under their new manager. So, they will be confident to delight the home crowd with a victory over Aston Villa on Saturday.
Michael Olise was named on the bench against Liverpool on Monday night and made an appearance late in the game. The midfielder will be hoping to get more minutes under his belt against Aston Villa. But, Vieira will still have to wait to get James McArthur, Jack Butland, and Nathan Ferguson back to the fold.
Aston Villa
A loss to a newly-promoted Bournemouth side denied Aston Villa an ideal start to their Premier League campaign. Steven Gerrard knew things would have gone bad to worse if they had lost to Everton at home. But, he watched on with relief as Danny Ings and Emiliano Buendia gave them a comfortable lead. A Lucas Digne own goal towards the end did result in some nervy final moments, but the Villans kept hold of their slender lead and added three points to their name.
Gerrard must have been thrilled to see Tyrone Mings producing one of his finest displays in recent times. The ex-Liverpool man stirred up a controversy after deciding to strip the England international off his Villa captaincy. He also benched him in the Bournemouth, fueling rumours of a rift between him and Mings. But, the centre-back showed no signs of discontent as he patrolled the Aston Villa backline with great authority. Gerrard would hope Mings shows the same level of resilience when the Villa defence gets tested by Palace attackers.
Saturday’s win over Everton came at a huge cost for Aston Villa. Diego Carlos, Villa’s £26m summer acquisition, ruptured his Achilles tendon, which will keep him out of action for at least half a year. Ezri Konsa will fill his void in defence and rekindle his partnership with Mings at the heart of the Villa backline. Matty Cash and Philippe Coutinho picked up knocks during the Everton clash, but they should be fit for the Palace trip.
Our Prediction
Crystal Palace have won in two of their last three encounters with Aston Villa. After going through two severe tests against Arsenal and Liverpool, Crystal Palace will set their eyes on registering their maiden Premier League win of the season. We expect a good fight from Aston Villa, but the spoils might go to Palace. Our top football betting tips experts are predicting a 2-1 win for the hosts.
Our Tip
Crystal Palace to win @ 2.60
