Overview
When Aston Villa traveled to Hill Dickinson in September last year, Everton was in high form with 2 consecutive wins, while Unai Emery's team has not yet scored any goals in the Premier League.
The match ended in a 0-0 draw, although Everton had every reason to regret it. The home team launched 20 shots and created a expected goal difference (xG) of 2.08, far exceeding Villa's 0.54. However, the lack of sharpness was clearly shown when Everton only had 2 shots on target, one of which Emiliano Martinez excellently saved Michael Keane's shot.
Villa scored his first goal of the season right next week in a 1-1 draw with Sunderland, and from then on began an impressive streak of form. Since then, Emery's team has won 13 Premier League titles - more than any other team.
They also scored 32 goals, only behind Manchester City (36 goals), although total xG only reached 21.9. In the opposite direction, only 4 teams conceded fewer goals than Villa (19 goals) in the same period.
Contrary to Villa's progress, Everton continues to have serious problems in scoring, and their performance against Villa in September partly reflects that reality. David Moyes' team has only scored 23 goals after 21 matches in the Premier League, with a xG of 23.6 - ranked 15th overall.
According to sources, Everton is actively looking for a striker in this month's transfer window. Although the defense also needs to be supplemented, it is clear that Thierno Barry and Beto have not brought the necessary effect. Beto is currently one of the strikers with the worst goal difference compared to xG in the league (-2.5).
Before the away match to Villa Park, Everton only won one of their last 6 matches. While Villa is aiming for an UEFA Champions League spot, even the championship race, Everton focuses on maintaining hope of competing for European tickets. Although ranked 12th, they are only 4 points behind Brentford in fifth place.
However, Moyes will not have the strongest force in hand. Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye are participating in the African Cup, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jarrad Branthwaite are absent due to injury.
Jack Grealish also did not play in the defeat to Sunderland in the FA Cup, closing a forgettable week for Everton. Grealish's form is no longer as explosive as in the early stages of playing for Everton on loan from Man City, although he still contributed 8 goals this season (2 goals, 6 assists).
The former Villa star has created 36 chances from live balls in the Premier League this season, only less than Jeremy Doku of Man City (39). Grealish is also the player with the most fouls in the tournament (52 times). In the first leg against his old team, he created five chances and if he recovers in time, this midfielder will definitely be very determined at Villa Park.
Everton actually plays better away from home. They have only won one of their last six home matches, but kept a clean sheet in four of their last five away games in the Premier League. The Merseyside team is aiming for a 3-match winless streak away from home for the first time since May 2021.
Head-to-head record
This is the most common match in Premier League history, and the upcoming clash will mark the 216th meeting between Aston Villa and Everton in the highest league in England.
In terms of recent head-to-head form, Villa is clearly dominant. Since returning to the Premier League in 2019, the Midlands team has been unbeaten in all 13 encounters with Everton (9 wins, 4 draws).
Score prediction: Aston Villa 1-0 Everton
The match between Aston Villa and Everton takes place at 11:30 PM on January 18 (Vietnam time).
