Preview: Aston Villa vs Everton - prediction, team news, lineups

Yet to lose to Everton since their return to the Premier League in 2019, Aston Villa aim to prolong that fabulous unbeaten sequence in Sunday's encounter at Villa Park.

Unai Emery oversaw a 2-1 FA Cup third-round win over Tottenham Hotspur last time out, while David Moyes's Toffees suffered penalty heartache at the hands of Sunderland.

Match preview

Formerly sweeping aside every foe in their path, Aston Villa's all-conquering streak has come to an end, and the Lions welcome the Toffees to the West Midlands having won just one of their last three games in England's top flight.

Villa memorably triumphed in eight league matches on the spin from November 9 to December 27, but either side of a comfortable home success over Nottingham Forest, the Lions have been slain by leaders Arsenal and held to a 0-0 draw by Crystal Palace.

However, thanks to the Gunners' and Manchester City's own slip-ups in 2026, Emery's men remain firmly in the title conversation in third place, trailing Arsenal by six points and the Citizens on goal difference at the time of writing.

Sunday's hosts also defied their temporary blip in a merited FA Cup success against a regressing Tottenham outfit, and little more needs to be said about Villa's extraordinary home form, which now reads 11 consecutive wins in all competitions.

Not since 1971-72 have Villa earned 12 straight home victories in a single season, and to make matters worse for Everton, the Lions have avoided defeat in each of their 13 Premier League matches with the Toffees since earning promotion back to the big time.

The blue half of Merseyside have witnessed a dismal nine defeats and four draws in that sequence, although one of those stalemates came back at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in September, when Villa were stunted in a goalless affair.

However, that 0-0 also marked Villa's 25th Premier League clean sheet against Everton - their most against a single opponent in the competition - and David Moyes's men have endured a woeful winter as far as results go.

Indeed, the Scotsman has masterminded just one win in his side's last seven matches, and the visitors are now winless in three following a 4-2 home loss to Brentford, a 1-1 stalemate with basement boys Wolverhampton Wanderers and penalty-shootout loss to Sunderland in the cup.

The 12th-placed Toffees are still not to be discounted in the race for Europe, as only three points separate them from sixth-placed Newcastle United, thanks in no small part to their recent applaudable exploits on the road.

Across their last five Premier League away matches, Moyes's men have claimed three wins and a draw while keeping an eye-catching four clean sheets, but that solidity will be tested to the maximum at the Villa Park fortress.

Aston Villa Premier League form:

Aston Villa form (all competitions):

Everton Premier League form:

Everton form (all competitions):

Team News

Aston Villa's last two games have brought Emery two new injury concerns; Boubacar Kamara hurt his knee against Spurs and will miss out, while Emiliano Martinez sustained a calf issue at Palace and is touch and go.

Kamara joins new signing Alysson (unspecified), Ross Barkley (knee) and Amadou Onana (muscle) on the hosts' absentee list for the weekend, but attacker Evann Guessand is back in Emery's ranks after his return from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Guessand's presence will come in handy now that Donyell Malen has completed a permanent transfer to Roma; the ex-Arsenal youngster started the FA Cup win over Tottenham, but Ollie Watkins will now be restored.

On Everton's end, ex-Villa attacker Jack Grealish has served a one-game suspension for his sending-off against Wolves and is available once again, but Michael Keane is still banned for two more matches after the club failed with an appeal.

However, the importance of Grealish's return cannot be overstated; the Manchester City loanee's 36 chances created from open play in the 2025-26 Premier League is the second-most behind Jeremy Doku's 39, and no player has drawn more fouls than his 52.

Moyes also expects none of his injured crop back for the weekend, meaning that Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring), Seamus Coleman (hamstring), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (thigh), Tim Iroegbunam (groin) and Carlos Alcaraz (unspecified) will remain out alongside Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye, about to go for Africa Cup of Nations final glory with Senegal.

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Bogarde, Tielemans; Buendia, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins

Everton possible starting lineup:

Pickford; Patterson, O'Brien, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Armstrong, Garner, Rohl; McNeil, Barry, Grealish

We say: Aston Villa 3-1 Everton

Whenever Grealish is on the pitch, Everton will generate chances, but taking them is often another matter for a side who are still crying out for a ruthless finisher.

Interestingly, both the Toffees and the Lions enter the weekend with weakened midfields, but the hosts should be the ones to capitalise on Everton's absentees as they record consecutive home win number 12.

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