Premier League previews: Aston Villa v Everton & Wigan v Portsmouth
Rarely have the emotions of football been so openly obvious. At the weekend, one team of underdogs arrived at Wembley flying high, challenging for a place in Europe and determined to reach their second cup final of the season. Another turned up having been relegated from the Premier League 24 hours earlier, still in administration and with players unable to play due to contractual circumstances.
Yet Aston Villa lost and Portsmouth won. It is the south coast outfit who will play in the FA Cup final next month and not the Midlanders. Tonight both return to Premier League action with differing priorities.
Aston Villa v Everton
“We need to win all of our games,” said Martin O’Neill, probably still squirming and wearing the pained expression of a man who feels as though he was robbed against Chelsea at Wembley at the weekend, where the Villains should have had a penalty and John Terry only avoided a red card on the grounds that he was John Terry.
But the Blues won 3-0, extending a run of only one win in five in all competitions for Villa and ensuring another trophyless season for O’Neill. The prize now is solely Champions League qualification, and they look outsiders for that. Or do they?
Victory over Everton tonight would lift Villa into sixth above Liverpool – who have all but thrown in the towel in the race – and see them in pursuit of Tottenham and Manchester City, who both play two of the top three in their next two games, with Spurs then facing a third in Manchester United.
If both were to drop points, which they surely will, then Villa look well-placed to pounce, especially with fixtures against Portsmouth and Hull after tonight, and then a trip to City. First though is Everton tonight.
It has been a typical campaign for the blue side of Merseyside. Often excellent, occasionally terrible, they’ve once again had about three seasons in one.
They are just four points and one place behind Villa in eighth, with their eyes firmly on seventh position, which will once again give them Europa League football next season.
Creative force Mikel Arteta will again be a huge miss, as the Blues have drawn their last two – easily winnable – matches against Wolves and West Ham without him, but they will once again make it tough for their opponents. Only Liverpool (twice) and Spurs have beaten them in the league since November, a run that has included a double over Manchester City and wins at home to Chelsea and Manchester United.
Villa will have their work cut out tonight, and it’s difficult to see a side low on confidence breaking down what will be a typically stubborn David Moyes team, who in turn probably lack the ingenuity to get in behind the hosts without Arteta. All of which points to a draw then.
It’s comfortable on this fence.
Prediction: Aston Villa 1 Everton 1
Wigan v Portsmouth
Relegated one minute, FA Cup finalists the next.
It’s all in a weekend’s work for Portsmouth, surely the most interesting story of this or many a Premier League season, and after Sunday’s hugely impressive victory over Tottenham at Wembley, they fully deserve their place in next month’s final against Chelsea. Now they have a month to prepare for it.
Already down, matches like tonight’s are a luxury for Avram Grant and his Pompey players. They’ll compete, of course they will, but there is absolutely nothing on the game for them, and that has made Roberto Martínez nervous.
“I think what is quite clear is that, on their day, Portsmouth remain a very strong side who are packed with very talented individuals,” said the Spaniard. “And, if anything, their relegation makes them even more dangerous, because they will now be playing without any fear, and can come out and enjoy themselves.”
That fear will be transmitted from the home side then, who are just one place above the relegation zone after the weekend results, and it will be an apprehensive home crowd who enter the DW Stadium tonight. On paper they should win easily, but that is where the nerves kick in.
Victory will lift Wigan above Wolves and into 14th place, putting them probably only a couple of points away from safety, and they should be too strong for a Pompey side who have a variety of problems after their weekend of slipping and sliding around on the Wembley cabbage patch.
Kevin Prince Boateng, Papa Bouba Diop, Hassan Yebda, Aaron Mokoena and John Utaka are all doubtful, whilst Aruna Dindane won’t play simply because it’ll cost Portsmouth £4million if he does.
Wigan will win if they hold their nerve, but that could be a big if.
Prediction: Wigan 2 Portsmouth 1
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