The Aston Villa and Everton defenders will come up against each other this weekend.
Everton face Aston Villa this weekend in considerably better form than their Midlands-based opponents.
But, during Remi Garde’s first match in charge of Villa, they earned a 0-0 draw against Manchester City.
It was an astute defensive display, with Micah Richards shining in particular. He will be just as key if Villa want to achieve a result at Everton.
The Toffees, however, will need to be just as focused if they are to avoid any defensive mishaps. Needless to say, one of their star men at the back is John Stones. How do he and Richards compare?
| 2015/16 | Tackles | Interceptions | Headers | Clearances | Minutes Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Stones | 19 | 21 | 19 | 40 | 900 |
| Micah Richards | 14 | 31 | 28 | 78 | 990 |
As Opta stats show, Stones has won more tackles than the Aston Villa man but has won far less interceptions.
Richards also defeats Stones when it comes to the amount of headers he has won, while he has also completed far more clearances than the Everton man.
The Villa defender has played one more match than the England man and the stats are skewed in his favour because Aston Villa have faced far more pressure than Everton so far this season.
Who will come out on top this weekend?
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