Everton v Aston Villa

Everton vs Aston Villa Preview

Everton were dealt a comprehensive 3-0 defeat away from home at Wolves towards the end of December which resulted in Sean Dyche's side signing off from 2023 in disappointing fashion especially as The Toffees had racked up four wins on the trot beforehand, while Aston Villa returned to winning ways last time out as they recorded a valuable 3-2 win against Burnley which helped maintain their possible push for a league title.

This season holds no such promise or potential for Everton who have slipped to three defeats on the trot after suffering losses to Tottenham, Manchester City and Wolves respectively and although The Toffees put together an impressive four-match winning streak in response to a 10-point deduction, it looks as though the merseyside club have returned to type in recent weeks.

Previous wins against Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Burnley had seemingly lifted Everton away from relegation danger but the recent spate of losses have dumped the hosts back into the relegation mire once more as Dyche's side now possess a slender one-point cushion above Luton Town and the bottom three clubs.

Aston Villa moved up into second spot and just three points behind the current league leaders, Liverpool, after coming out on top against lowly Burnley despite being pegged back to 2-2 with just 20 minutes remaining.

However, Douglas Luiz once again helped Villa to grab the all-important three points from the penalty spot to make it just one defeat from their previous nine matches overall in the English top flight whilst collecting no fewer than six wins in the process.

Four of these six wins have been achieved on home soil at Villa Park but nevertheless, wins on the road at Tottenham and Brentford have also been impressive and have contributed to Aston Villa's rise under manager, Unai Emery, as the west midlands club chase down a potential Champions League spot for next season.

The bigger picture also paints an impressive and highly promising outlook for The Villains as they have been handed just three defeats throughout this season's Premier League campaign, each of which have been on their travels with losses incurred at Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United but 13 wins within their 20 matches played to date this term suggests the visitors look to have the upper hand here.

Everton v Aston Villa Verdict

Everton claimed a 2-1 win away from home at Aston Villa in the League Cup towards the end of September but Villa have enjoyed the lion's share of success between these two clubs in recent exchanges as the west midlands club have won five out of the last six meetings and the visitors look the more likely for the three points in this clash as well.

Therefore, our main bet will be Aston Villa win @ 2.45

Other side bets worth considering:

Aston Villa win & Under 2.5 goals @ 6.50

Correct Score: Aston Villa 1-0 @ 11.00