Aston Villa vs Everton Bet Builder Tips: Onana to be on song against old employers

Everton have made an abysmal start to the 2024/25 Premier League season, losing their first three games, and things don't get any easier for the Blues with a trip to Villa Park on Saturday (17:30, Sky Sports Main Event) to take on an Aston Villa side that have, so far, only dropped points to last season's runners-up Arsenal (0-2).

Below you can find my Aston Villa vs Everton bet builder tips, fronted by a former Toffee, who takes up two of the three selections in this 6/1 shot in the Midlands...

Aston Villa vs Everton Odds

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Amadou Onana 2+ Shots

Former Everton midfielder Amadou Onana has enjoyed a brilliant start to life at Aston Villa, scoring in his new club's wins against West Ham United (1-2) and Leicester City (1-2) this term, already matching last season's Premier League goal tally with the Toffees.

The Belgium international scored with his only effort of the game at the London Stadium and doubled his shot attempts against Arsenal before going one better again at the King Power Stadium last time out, shooting three times against the Foxes.

Onana kept up his record of shooting in every single game this season on international duty with the Belgium national team, firing off three times against Israel and once against France.

Up against his previous employers on Saturday, the 23-year-old is sure to be trying his luck again, and he is the obvious target from set-pieces for Villa, who will be confident of troubling a Blues backline that conceded two headers late on in a harrowing late 2-3 defeat to Bournemouth just before the international break.

Onana's towering presence could cause big problems for the Merseysiders, and he may well come back to haunt his former teammates, but I think backing two shots rather than a goal is the sensible pick here.

Amadou Onana 2+ Fouls

Onana has been in the thick of it this season, averaging 2.3 fouls per game in the Premier League. He made one foul against West Ham, two against Arsenal, and four against Leicester, before going on international duty with the Red Devils and committing two fouls against Israel and one against France.

So, Onana has made two fouls in three of the five matches he has played this season, and you'd think the conditions are primed for him to make it four in six this weekend against his former club.

The Senegal-born star is a powerful presence in the middle of midfield and with Boubacar Kamara yet to return to action, it is Onana who is primarily tasked with putting out fires and, naturally, that can lead to more fouls being made.

Everton have their fair share of physical specimens, notably Dominic Calvert-Lewin, James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, who will all be looking to unsettle the hosts at Villa Park. All three are handy in the air, and Onana is likely to challenge the trio from goal kicks, corner kicks, and throw-ins, heightening his chances of conceding a free-kick or penalty and adding to his foul count.

Football Odds

James Tarkowski 1+ Shots

The third and final selection of this bet builder involves Everton defender Tarkowski who, like his teammates, has endured a torrid start to the season as part of a backline that has shipped 10 goals in three Premier League games.

The 31-year-old must buck his and his teammates' ideas up in defence but the two-time England international has at least proved to be a nuisance in the opposition's penalty area, averaging 1.7 shots per game this term.

Tarkowski took one shot in Everton's opening weekend loss to Brighton & Hove Albion (0-3), three in the space of a minute a week later in a 4-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, and one at Goodison Park against Bournemouth - hitting the post versus the Cherries.

Averaging 0.7 shots per game in the Premier League last season, Tarkowski recorded a shot in both league meetings with Villa - a 4-0 defeat at Villa Park in August 2023, and a goalless draw in the reverse fixture in January. He also registered a shot in a 1-2 Carabao Cup victory in B6 last September and will be important for the Blues at set-pieces again this weekend.

Offers

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