EVERTON'S recent revival faces another test on Saturday when Aston Villa come to Goodison Park as Sean Dyche's men fight for survival.
Two wins out of three since the former Burnley boss took charge has been an outstanding return for a side who looked dead and buried under Frank Lampard who had a spell of one win in 14 in all competitions.
They stunned leaders Arsenal and although they lost a bitter derby with Liverpool, they bounced back with another 1-0 defeat of fellow relegation candidates Leeds United last week.
It's propelled them up two places and one point above the drop zone and suddenly there is a real uplift in spirits, especially given that Dyche has done it with the same players who got them into this mess.
Villa, of course, has already produced a revival of their own after sacking Steven Gerrard and the arrival of Unai Emery has seen them regain their confidence and collect some huge points.
However, although they sit comfortably enough in 11th place, they are on a concerning run of three defeats in a row. It should be pointed out though that those defeats came against title challengers Arsenal and Manchester City as well as an in-form Leicester City.
How the bookies view it
Everton's home advantage has led to them being favourites here and you can get 6/4 with a few including UniBet, Coral and Betfred.
Everton can be backed at 2/1 with bet365 and William Hill. The draw is 21/10 with Paddy Power.
Recent head to heads
The clubs met back in August and Villa won 2-1 in Birmingham. In fact, Villa have won the last three meetings and Everton have failed to win in the last seven meetings.
Players to watch
Neal Maupay has only scored one goal for Everton since his move from Brighton, but the striker puts in a power of work. He is 13/5 to bag a rare goal with bet365.
Ollie Watkins has now netted in his last four matches for Villa and he is 11/4, also with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Aston Villa look too big here and the preference is with them to get the points and burst Everton's revival. They seem to have been written off after three defeats in a row, but as stated, they were playing top teams and came very close to getting at least a point against Arsenal last week after twice leading.
Everton have dug out a couple of massive wins, but there remain doubts about them defensively and it's a surprise to see Emery's men as big as 2/1.
Villa have scored in every one of their last 12 games and netted twice against Arsenal and Leicester City as well as against Spurs and Leeds United this year.
They are a big price to score two goals or more at 2/1 with Ladbrokes too.
This English Premier League match between Everton and Aston Villa will be played on Feb 25, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Everton vs Aston Villa prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
