Aston Villa and Everton both contested their final pre-season friendlies on Saturday.
Here are the major talking points from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 ASTON VILLA
- Goal: McGinn
- Assist: Buendia
Aston Villa XI: Bizot (Wright 46), Nedeljkovic (Cash 46), Lindelof (Pau 53), Mings, Rowe (Maatsen 46), Bogarde (Kamara 46), Barkley (Jimoh-Aloba 86), Alysson, Lynch (Buendia 46), Hemmings (McGinn 46), Abraham (Burrowes 53)
SCOUT NOTES
- Aston Villa rounded off their pre-season preparations with a 2-1 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany.
- Unai Emery handed rests to most of the Super Cup XI. Only Marco Bizot (£4.5m), Victor Lindelof (£4.5m) and George Hemmings (£4.5m) kept their places. Alejandro Garnacho (£6.0m) missed out once more due to concussion.
- Gladbach had much the better of the first half, and went in 2-0 up. However, Villa improved after Emery made six alterations at the break, with first-teamers Matty Cash (£4.5m), Pau Torres (£4.5m), Ian Maatsen (£4.5m), Boubacar Kamara (£5.0m), John McGinn (£5.5m) and Emiliano Buendia (£6.0m) all introduced.
- McGinn pulled one back midway through the second half from a Buendia cut-back. Having picked out McGinn, Buendia has now supplied six attacking returns in pre-season. That’s the most of any Villa player (see below). With potential penalties in his locker, he could be a decent early-season punt.
- Besides that, the best opportunities fell to Maatsen, who flashed his effort wide of the far post, and Jamal Jimoh-Aloba, who really should have done better from inside the box late on.
- But more concerning for Emery was another potential fitness issue. Tammy Abraham (£5.5m) suffered an injury when he slipped awkwardly in the second half. After receiving treatment on the pitch, he had to be replaced by Bradley Burrowes. Remember, Joao Gomes (£5.5m) and Brian Madjo (£5.5m) joined Amadou Onana (£5.0m) and Johan Manzambi (£6.0m) on the injury list after Wednesday’s Super Cup.
- Ollie Watkins (£8.0m) could potentially have to start next week’s opener at Brighton and Hove Albion, then. He hasn’t played a single minute of pre-season after the World Cup, but with Abraham potentially out as well as Madjo, there might be no other option.
- Emiliano Martinez (£5.0m) and Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) are expected to report back on Monday, although both players continue to be linked with moves away from the club.
- Villa subsequently head to the Amex Stadium with plenty of issues. A lot still needs to be sorted in the transfer market, too, with Matteo Ruggeri expected to be confirmed as Villa’s fourth new arrival of the summer soon.
EVERTON 1-1 Lille
- Goal: Ndiaye pen
- Assist: Dewsbury-Hall
Everton XI: Pickford (Travers 64), Rohl, Tarkowski (O’Brien 64), Branthwaite (Keane 64), Mykolenko (Aznou 76), Hackney, Armstrong (Patterson 64), Dewsbury-Hall (Alcaraz 76), Dibling (Johnson 64), Ndiaye (George 64), Barry (Beto 64)
SCOUT NOTES
- Everton concluded their pre-season with a 1-1 draw against Lille at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
- James Garner (£6.0m) and Tim Iroegbunam (£5.0m) both missed out due to injury. There was no sign of Christian Norgaard (£5.0m), either, who is yet to play since his arrival from Arsenal, raising significant concerns regarding his availability for Gameweek 1.
- In more positive news, Jordan Pickford (£5.5m) was back between the sticks for the first time since the World Cup, while Jarrad Branthwaite (£5.5m) returned to the starting XI after his midweek no-show. Debutant Brennan Johnson (£6.0m) came on as a second-half substitute, too.
- Iliman Ndiaye (£6.0m) netted the opener from the penalty spot after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£6.5m) was brought down. Ndiaye has now taken and scored each of Everton’s last two penalties in pre-season, so he looks to be first choice after Thierno Barry (£5.5m) had previously stepped up from 12 yards against Stuttgart.
- After that, David Moyes’ side really ought to have put the game to bed. Johnson could have scored a brace, while Harrison Armstrong (£5.0m) missed a sitter after he was played in by Barry. Everton failed to add to their tally, however, with a late Lille equaliser denying them victory.
- Elsewhere, Tyler Dibling (£5.5m) had some bright moments and linked up well with right-back Merlin Rohl (£5.0m), who certainly offers more offensively than Jake O’Brien (£5.0m) – a centre-back by trade – from that position. Interestingly, after his introduction in the second half, O’Brien took on a central role.
- As for Barry, he led the line for just over an hour and was unlucky not to bank an assist, but he never really looked like scoring.
- However, this was a positive overall display from Everton, with Ndiaye and Dewsbury-Hall particularly lively. You’d think Saturday’s line-up will probably be very close to the one that starts in Gameweek 1.
- READ MORE: FPL pre-season: £5.0m forward boost + £4.0m Coventry defender clues
- READ MORE: FPL pre-season: De Cuyper ‘OOP’, Minteh latest + Hinshelwood threat
- READ MORE: FPL pre-season: Another Bruno pen miss + Mbeumo a sub
- READ MORE: FPL pre-season: Pedro again, Rogers debut, Munoz returns
