Xtra Time - Aston Villa v Brighton
Sep 30The Premier League weekend kicks off in the Midlands where former club foes, turned England teammates, turned BT Sport colleagues Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard face off for the first time as managers as Aston Villa entertain Everton.
The midfield duo started 59 matches alongside one another for England, and were on opposite sides for 20 Premier League matches as players, with Lampard claiming the head-to-head with 10 wins to Gerrard's seven.
As they prepare to renew hostilities in the dugout, both men will be looking to get their seasons up and running after enduring defeats on opening weekend.
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Hosts Villa will be desperate to avoid beginning their campaign with back-to-back losses after going down at newly-promoted Bournemouth last Saturday.
Ex-Liverpool skipper Gerrard would love nothing more than to get off the mark with a morale-boosting win over the blue half of Merseyside.
When is Aston Villa vs Everton?
Our coverage from Villa Park gets underway at 11.30am (12.30pm KO) on Saturday 13 August, live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate on TV.
The match is also available to live stream on the BT Sport app or right here on bt.com/sport - full details below.
How to watch Aston Villa vs Everton on your mobile
Watch on the go with the BT Sport app with a link to the live stream available at the top of the homepage when our coverage gets underway.
With the enhanced video player featuring an interactive timeline and multi-camera functionality, the app truly offers the most-immersive viewing experience available.
It's available to download for free on iOS and Android phones and tablets; and offers far more than just live streaming options.
How to live stream Aston Villa vs Everton on your laptop or TV
Aston Villa vs Everton is available to live stream here!
Follow the link above or access the live stream via the bt.com/sport home page when our broadcast begins at 11.30am.
With access to in-game stats, real-time table changes and more, our matchday page will enhance your viewing ever further.
If you're at home, you can watch all the action BT Sport 1 via BT TV, or BT Sport large screen app, which is available on most smart televisions.*
*BT Sport customers can download the BT Sport app on PS4, Xbox, Apple TV and Samsung Smart TVs (2015 models onwards). To watch the action, follow the link at the top of the homepage.
Aston Villa vs Everton match preview
Both Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard were accustomed to fighting it out for major honours during their illustrious playing careers, but the former England team-mates and Premier League foes have needed to adjust those expectations in their current managerial roles.
The former Liverpool talisman oversaw a concerning run of nine points from Villa’s final 11 games last season and took his side to the Vitality Stadium aiming for a positive start to this campaign, but they were rudely awoken by a fired-up AFC Bournemouth, who took the lead inside two minutes through Jefferson Lerma and finished off the job late on thanks to Kieffer Moore’s first-ever goal in the top flight.
A glaring flaw in Villa’s performance on the South Coast was their wastefulness in front of goal as they managed just two shots on target from 15 attempts, having enjoyed 66% possession.
An even bigger talking point from the contest was the omission of Tyrone Mings, recently stripped of the captaincy and benched on Saturday as big-money summer signing Diego Carlos partnered Ezri Konsa, with Gerrard challenging the 29-year-old to up his level in training in order to return to the team.
Gerrard was asked after the Bournemouth match whether Mings’ reaction to having the armband taken off him had led to him being dropped, with Gerrard replying: “It’s a little bit of that. He's also missed some training time with an injury and there's a niggle in the background as well.
“When Tyrone is back at his best and looks me in the eye and shows that he's ready to play, he'll get opportunities.”
Aboubacar Kamara, a recent acquisition from Marseille, played 82 minutes on his competitive debut before being replaced by Douglas Luiz, and the Cameroon midfielder may well need to be joined by further reinforcements following the sale of talented teenager Carney Chukwuemeka.
By contrast, Lampard’s Everton ended last term on a generally positive note, with impressive victories over Manchester United, Chelsea, Leicester and Crystal Palace staving off relegation worries following an initially worrying run of six league defeats in seven under their new manager.
However, after tightening their belts in last season’s transfer window, the Toffees have again been constrained by their financial situation this summer as key man Richarlison was sold to Tottenham for £60m, although Dwight McNeil and Andre Onana have since been signed for a total of £56m.
While one of Villa’s issues is a disgruntled centre-back, Everton have a problem with a long-term injured one after Ben Godfrey was sidelined for three months with a fractured fibula following a challenge with Kai Havertz as Lampard’s old side claimed victory on the opening weekend at Goodison Park due to Jorginho’s penalty.
Yerry Mina also suffered ankle ligament damage on Sunday, making the arrival of Wolves’ Conor Coady on loan all the more vital.
The match against the Blues also flagged up problems at the other end of the pitch, with the team lacking a focal point without the influential Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who sustained a knee injury in training, with no indication about when he could return.
With Andre Gomes, Tom Davies and Andros Townsend also out – the latter until October – Lampard can ill afford any more absences.
Aston Villa vs Everton predicted team news
Aston Villa predicted line-up:
Martinez, Digne, Carlos, Konsa, Cash, Ramsey, Luiz, McGinn, Coutinho, Watkins, Bailey.
Everton predicted line-up:
Pickford, Coady, Mina, Tarkowski, Patterson, Doucoure, Iwobi, Mykolenko, McNeil, Gray, Gordon.
What if I can't watch the game live?
No problem. A highlights package of the clash will be made available to all shortly after the game on both the BT Sport app and bt.com/sport. We'll also publish in-game clips throughout the 90 minutes.
There will also be several opportunities to watch the match in full on TV and online after the event. For more information on the latest listings, check out our TV Guide.
What other live football does BT Sport show?
The Premier League campaign gets off to a flyer on BT Sport with viewers set to be treated to 17 games exclusively live over the opening weeks of the season.
Headlined by a cracking Merseyside derby at the start of September, our TV picks for the first eight gameweeks include a full midweek round of fixtures that will see every team feature across the BT Sport network.
We're also broadcasting the majority of this season's Champions League plus every single Europa League match.
There's also action from the continent with Ligue 1 as well as the best of the Serie A and Coppa Italia.
For full details of BT Sport's upcoming live football schedule, check out our What's on BT Sport page.
If you're having problems setting up a BT Sport account, visit our FAQ page for a one-stop shop of helpful advice and guidance.
