Everton vs. Aston Villa: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Beating an Everton side buoyed by the return of David Moyes will be a very tricky task for Aston Villa. They're in much better form on the whole, but they're also coming into this game off the back of five consecutive away defeats in the league, so it's hard to have much confidence in them winning this game.

Everton, meanwhile, have lost only one of their last seven league games at Goodison Park, and given four of those have been draws, we think this one will play out in a similar manner. Everton 1-1 Aston Villa.

David Moyes will take charge of a game in the Everton dugout for the first time since 2013 as they face Aston Villa in the Premier League.

• Date: 15/01/2025
• Kick-off time: 19:30
• Location: Goodison Park, Liverpool

Everton come into this game in 16th place in the Premier League with 17 points from 19 games this season. This season has been a tough one for fans of the Toffees, who have seen their team struggle greatly while playing a brand of football that they’ve found difficult to stomach. As a result, Everton parted ways with manager Sean Dyche last week, with Dyche informing the club that he thinks he’s taken it as far as he can, with the players no longer responding to his methods.

Now, David Moyes will return for a spectacular second spell at the club, having previously managed Everton from 2002-2013. Moyes was a cult hero in the blue half of Merseyside and was unequivocally impressive on a very tight budget, so there are big hopes that he can repeat something similar in his second stint.

The Toffees job is not an easy one, though, with the squad very short on top-level quality. Everton have scored just 15 goals in the league this season, and while many will put that down to Dyche, it’s also a consequence of a lack of talent going forward.

Iliman Ndiaye is an excellent player and Moyes must make him the central point of his attack, but Moyes will also be willing Dwight McNeil to return from injury sooner rather than later, with few other candidates available to shoulder the kind of attacking burden that the team needs.

Moyes faces an exceptionally tough test in his first game back as Everton manager, but in what is Everton’s last season at Goodison Park, he’ll want to give the fans an afternoon to remember at their famous old ground.

Aston Villa currently sit 8th in the Premier League with 32 points from 20 games. Unai Emery’s men are having a good campaign overall, but their league form is short of where they would want it to be. After reaching the Champions League, Villa have found it tough to balance playing in Europe’s premier competition and competing for a top four finish in the Premier League, as they face the prospect of being a one-hit wonder in the Champions League.

Villa have still been impressive in the league, and they’re only four points shy of Chelsea in 4th, but there has been a clear regression from last season, which likely owes to multiple factors. Villa have had to deal with a number of injuries, and Ollie Watkins has been well below the very high standards he set last season, to the point he is now arguably second choice to Colombian Jhon Durán, or at least on the verge of losing his spot.

Villa seem likely to strengthen their side in January, with the club having made a move for Borussia Dortmund forward Donyell Malen. The move has gone quiet since it was first reported by The Athletic, but with Villa having sold winger Jadon Philogene to Ipswich Town, it seems clear that they intend to strengthen before the end of the month.

Playing a team buoyed by a new manager bounce is always exceptionally tough, and Villa will likely have to deal with a very raucous Goodison Park crowd. They need a win here to keep pace with the likes of Newcastle and Chelsea, but three points will not come easily.

This game will be televised live to all subscribed UK viewers on TNT Sports 2.

Everton Team News:

Everton still have a few key players missing, with Dwight McNeil, Tim Iroegbunam, James Garner, Séamus Coleman and Youssef Chermiti all out injured.

Both Jack Harrison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be in line for recalls to the starting XI here.

Predicted lineup: Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Mangala, Gueye; Harrison, Ndiaye, Lindstrøm; Calvert-Lewin.

Aston Villa Team News:

The visitors will be missing Diego Carlos, John McGinn, Pau Torres and Kortney Hause, all of whom are on the sidelines.

However, Jhon Durán is available once again after serving a three-match suspension, and he'll be hoping to reclaim his starting spot from Ollie Watkins.

Predicted lineup: Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Onana; Bailey, Tielemans, Rogers; Watkins.

Everton:

Everton are quite considerably out of form heading into this game with one win, two draws and two defeats from him last five games. Everton took on Peterborough in FA Cup third round at the weekend and claimed a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Beto and Iliman Ndiaye.

Before that, Everton fell to a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth, a result that followed a 0-2 loss to Nottingham Forest.

Those results followed a 1-1 draw at Manchester City, where Iliman Ndiaye scored an excellent equaliser, which came after a 0-0 draw with Chelsea.

Aston Villa:

Aston Villa head into this game with three wins, one draw and one loss from their last five games. Last time out, a second half comeback through goals from Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers handed them a 2-1 win over West Ham in the FA Cup third round, a result that was preceded by a 2-1 win over Leicester City, with Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey scoring the goals.

Prior to that, goals from Ollie Watkins and Rogers played their part in a 2-2 draw with Brighton, which was preceded by a 3-0 defeat away at Newcastle and a 2-1 win over Manchester City, with Jhon Durán and Rogers scoring the goals.

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