Can Aston Villa maintain pressure on frontrunners with positive result at Everton?
Aston Villa will resume their Premier League title challenge when they take on Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon.
One year of @AlexMoreno in claret and blue! ✨ pic.twitter.com/KZBvyojvNy— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 11, 2024
One year of @AlexMoreno in claret and blue! ✨ pic.twitter.com/KZBvyojvNy
Ahead of their first league game of 2024, Unai Emery’s side find themselves second in the standings – three points behind table-topping Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Everton sit 17th – one point outside the relegation zone – having received a 10-point deduction earlier in the season.
The Toffees head into Sunday’s clash on the back of a goalless draw with Crystal Palace in the FA Cup, despite racking up 13 shots at Selhurst Park.
Sean Dyche’s men have now failed to win any of their last five matches across all competitions, firing back-to-back blanks either side of the turn of the year.
It is also worth noting that Everton have lost each of their previous three Premier League clashes, falling to Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Having lost six of their 10 home league games this season – taking 10 points from a possible 30 at Goodison Park – the Toffees will likely struggle against high-flying Aston Villa.
The Villains, meanwhile, booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough, courtesy of Matty Cash’s 87th-minute winner.
That win means Emery’s men have lost just one of their last 13 matches across all competitions, picking up nine victories along the way.
In the Premier League, Aston Villa have lost only four of their 20 clashes this season, winning six of their previous nine to remain in the title race.
Better still, only Man City (45) have scored more goals than Villa (43) this term, underlining the team’s attacking threat, with Ollie Watkins contributing nine goals and eight assists.
Head-to-head: Aston Villa thrashed Everton 4-0 in the reverse fixture back in August, with John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Leon Bailey and Jhon Duran grabbing the goals.
As a result, the Villains have avoided defeat in each of their previous nine Premier League meetings with the Toffees, winning the past five while keeping four clean sheets.
Team news: Everton’s Idrissa Gana Gueye is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Dwight McNeil and Ashley Young are sidelined due to injury.
Aston Villa’s Bertrand Traore is also on AFCON duty, while Emi Buendia, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Youri Tielemans and Robin Olsen are injured.
When you couple the two sides’ respective league positions with Villa’s impressive recent record against Everton, all the signs point towards an away win.
Forebet predicts that free-scoring Aston Villa will bag over 2.5 goals on their way to defeating Everton, who look set to suffer a fourth successive league defeat.