Everton vs Aston Villa: early team news and injury picture

Everton’s bright start meets Aston Villa’s early frustration on September 13, when the two square off at Hill Dickinson Stadium. The hosts have banked two wins from their first three Premier League games, while the visitors are still hunting their first victory. Layer on top the return of Jack Grealish against his former club—fresh off being named Premier League Player of the Month—and you’ve got a game loaded with storylines before a ball is kicked.

The catch? Both sides are carrying a heavy injury list. Across the two squads, up to nine players could miss out. Everton manager David Moyes confirmed Jarrad Branthwaite is not yet over a hamstring problem, and key forward Iliman Ndiaye also looks set to sit this one out. On the other side, Unai Emery gets Matty Cash back after a scare on international duty, but he will be without several starters in midfield and beyond.

Here’s the injury latest as it stands.

• Everton – Out: Iliman Ndiaye (undisclosed), Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring). Doubts: Adam Aznou, Vitalii Mykolenko, Nathan Patterson.
• Aston Villa – Fit: Matty Cash. Out: Andres Garcia, Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley.

That’s potentially five absences for Everton if all three doubts fail late fitness checks, and four confirmed outs for Aston Villa. Availability can still shift as medical staff make final calls, but the headline remains the same: both managers are juggling key pieces.

Ndiaye’s likely absence is a gut punch for Everton. He has been central to their vertical threat and early-season punch in transition. With him sidelined, Moyes may have to tweak the front line—whether that’s leaning into more fluid movement across the front three or asking midfield runners to attack space more often. It also puts a bigger onus on Grealish to carry Everton’s creative load between the lines and draw fouls high up the pitch.

At the back, Branthwaite’s hamstring issue forces another decision. Without his aerial presence and recovery pace, Everton’s shape on set pieces and against direct balls will matter more than usual. If Mykolenko and Patterson aren’t fully fit, the full-back picture gets complicated as well. That could mean a conservative approach down the flanks: fewer overlapping runs, more focus on compact distances between center-backs and wide defenders, and a greater emphasis on midfield cover.

For Villa, Emery’s midfield is where the pain is sharpest. Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana bring ball-winning, legs, and height—losing both narrows options for screening the back line and breaking waves of counterattacks. Ross Barkley’s absence removes a ball-carrying outlet who can knit moves together when Villa need to settle. Expect Emery to prioritize structure: shorter distances between units, a cautious first phase build-up, and quick counters rather than long passing sequences that expose the middle of the pitch.

Matty Cash being available helps the visitors, especially if Villa want to push their right side to tilt the field. His engine and timing in wide overloads are crucial for stretching teams that sit compact and try to funnel play inside. If Cash is used aggressively, it could pin back Everton’s left and test any makeshift full-back solutions the hosts roll out.

How the absences could shape the game

These injuries don’t just remove names—they shift the balance of how both teams can play. Everton, without Ndiaye, might have fewer clean breakouts, so expect more emphasis on second balls and set-piece routines to generate shots. If Grealish drifts centrally to dictate tempo, the hosts will need wide forwards to run beyond the ball and drag Villa’s center-backs out of their comfort zones.

Villa’s midfield shortages suggest a tighter, more reactive approach. Emery may opt for a compact double pivot that prioritizes interceptions over adventurous passing. The trade-off? Less risk through the middle but a heavier reliance on wide progressions and quick switches to release runners behind Everton’s full-backs. Cash’s overlaps and underlaps could be the main route to high-quality entries into the box.

There’s also a psychological subplot. Grealish facing his former club, at pace and in form, changes the energy of the night. Villa’s defenders will know his habits; Grealish knows theirs. How Villa choose to contain him—early contact, a shadow marker, or ceding touchlines to protect the half-spaces—will say a lot about Emery’s risk appetite given the missing midfield anchors.

Small details could decide it. Without Branthwaite, Everton must be tidy on set plays at both ends—track blockers, win first contact, and protect the zone just beyond the penalty spot where second balls often drop. Villa, missing their destroyers, can’t afford cheap turnovers in central areas, because that’s where Grealish and Everton’s runners can turn a loose ball into a shot in seconds.

What should you watch for once the whistle goes?

• Grealish’s starting position: hugs the touchline to isolate his full-back, or roams inside to overload midfield?
• Villa’s right flank: how high Cash gets, and whether Everton can exploit the space behind him.
• Everton’s defensive rest shape: are full-backs staying conservative, and who covers the half-spaces with Branthwaite missing?
• Midfield duels: can Villa’s stand-ins slow Everton’s counters without racking up early bookings?
• Set pieces: with personnel missing, both managers may lean into rehearsed routines for margins.

Beyond one game, the stakes are simple. Everton want to turn a good start into momentum and keep climbing while they patch up the squad. Villa need a result to settle the noise and prove their floor is higher than the table currently shows. With the injury board crowded, clarity and discipline will matter more than flair. The team that adapts faster to what’s missing will likely leave with the points.