Long live the Don, Everton at Villa Park on Sunday and match the BBC facts

It is confirmed that Donyell Malen has left Aston Villa and I don’t think it will divide opinion, but he will be missed. What will divide opinion is its importance. I liked him and I thought he had value and I would have liked to see him longer at Villa Park.

That said, I have absolute confidence in the manager and I’m sure we will have a player to replace him and I’m sure that player will contribute just like Malen did and maybe even better. I’m not convinced the Tammy rumors are true and that’s only because of something I saw on Twitter from our Director of Football Operations that he didn’t believe the rumors.

That said, Malen’s had been circulating for a few days, I believe it or not. If Tammy comes he will be in direct competition with Ollie and I suppose that can’t be a bad thing, but will he want to be second fiddle or will we start playing as a pair?

That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone came along that we haven’t heard anything about. Someone big!

So, thanks Don, but this article is about Everton on Sunday and yes, it’s a big game as it is all these days because we have to keep the gap or make it bigger and that’s a good opportunity. And it’s important because Liverpool have Burnley and I imagine it’s going to be a party.

And we had a nice little break. The players have to be ready and I imagine that if we approach the match the way we should and give 100% for 95 minutes, the result will come by itself. That said, Everton have been doing well away from home since Moyes’ return, so it won’t be a walk in the park.

Three points is big, it’s business and our eyes are on the prize. Let’s go.

Match the BBC Facts

• Aston Villa are unbeaten in their 13 Premier League matches against Everton since returning to the division in 2019 (W9 D4).

• Everton have lost each of their last four Premier League away matches against Aston Villa, their longest losing streak at Villa Park since between October 1995 and April 2001 (6).

• Aston Villa have kept more Premier League clean sheets against Everton than any other opponent (25) and have blanked the Toffees in eight of their last 10 meetings.

• Everton have won three of their last five away matches in the Premier League (D1 L1), keeping a clean sheet in four of those five outings, as many as their previous 18 away trips.

• Aston Villa have won their last 11 home matches in all competitions. Their last longer run period was between March and October 1983 (14), while she last had a longer run period in the same season between October and February in 1971-72 (12).

• Since David Moyes’ return to the club last year, Everton have won nine of their 19 away Premier League matches (D4 L6). Their previous nine away victories came over a period of 65 games (21 draws, 35 defeats) against three different managers (Rafael Benítez, Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche).

• Everton have kept clean sheets in four of their last five away games in the Premier League and are looking to keep three in a row on the road for the first time since May 2021 (4 under Carlo Ancelotti).

• Emiliano Buendía has been involved in 10 goals in all competitions this season (6 goals, 4 assists), his best return in a single campaign for Aston Villa with 2021-22 (4 goals, 6 assists).

• Morgan Rogers has more goals (8) and more assists (6) than any other Aston Villa player in all competitions this season, having assisted in 10 goals (7 goals, 3 assists) in his last 12 starts.

• Only Jérémy Doku (39) has created more chances from open play than Everton’s Jack Grealish (36) in the Premier League this season. Grealish has also been fouled more often than any other player this season (52).