Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature All eyes will be on the touchline today, just in case something kicks off and the two old rivals Liverpool and Chelsea exchange some incredible views… but there’s really no point. All friends here! BT chats to Everton new boy Conor Coady. “It was a very good week. It was seamless coming here, the guys were great. I enjoyed training, but I’m so glad game day is here, that’s what we live for. I was on the phone thinking: I’m talking to Frank Lampard here. It was a bit surreal. But I listened to every word he said and how he talked about the club. I’m 29, I want to play as many games as I can and I want to help Everton, that’s all I want to do. Every player wants to go to the World Cup, but there are incredible players vying for that place, so it’s up to me to help this club as much as I can. Not playing was hard, so to come here is amazing. Being here is a really proud moment. I have Evertonians in the family!” All of this is delivered at 1,001 words per minute, barely a breath between sentences. He is ready for all this. Steven Gerrard speaks to BT Sport. “Tyrone Mings is in full form. I know I took away the captaincy from him, but I didn’t take away the position. He has trained well. We were vulnerable from set-pieces, so his profile will be very important for us. I always try to be honest. I inherited the status of captain and wanted to put my own stamp on it. I wanted it to be my choice. I hope that in the long term he will help Tyrone with his consistency because we have all seen that he can be a top centre-half.” He also names Roy Keane as his dream midfield partner in the spirit of the Premier League’s 30th birthday celebrations. To be fair, the question forbade him from picking Frank Lampard, so let’s not make trouble unnecessarily. Tyrone Mings starts for Aston Villa. The sacked captain takes the place of Ezri Konsa, the only change to the team that was beaten at Bournemouth last weekend. Everton give Conor Coady his debut. He is one of two changes from the defeat at Chelsea, with Mason Holgate also starting, filling the holes left by the injured Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina.
The groups
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Diego Carlos, Mings, Digne, Ramsey, Kamara, McGinn, Watkins, Ings, Coutinho. Subs: Konsa, Douglas Luiz, Buendia, Chambers, Augustinsson, Young, Olsen, Bailey, Archer. Everton: Pickford, Patterson, Holgate, Cody, Tarkovsky, Mikolenko, McNeill, Doukoure, Iwobi, Gray, Gordon. Subs: Keane, Onana, Begovic, Alli, Coleman, Davies, Ruben Vinagre, Rondon, Mills. Referee: Michael Oliver.
Preamble
For some fans, this game immediately brings to mind the memorable 6-2 of 1989, Graham Taylor’s Villa up, Everton heading in the opposite direction, their mid-80s glory officially over. Great sets, and the football wasn’t half bad either. But enough nostalgia, even if this is the most played game in the history of the English top flight. It’s about the here and now, the first managerial meeting between Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, England’s Noughties dream midfield pairing. Neither manager’s coat is hanging on a peg…not yet…but rumblings of discontent won’t be far away if they follow up their miserable opening day defeats with a second loss. Villa did the double against relegation-haunted Everton last season, vastly superior in both legs, but this time the Toffees have fresh defensive strength in Conor Coady and Amadou Onana. Villa have the historical advantage with 77 wins to 76 in 208 matches. 56th tie then? The start is at 12.30 pm. It’s up and running!
