Everton will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League when they continue their campaign at home to an inconsistent Aston Villa on Saturday night.
The Toffees, who beat Arsenal last time out, are currently eighth in the table, six points off fourth-placed Chelsea, while Villa occupy 11th position, having picked up 45 points from 32 matches this term.
Match preview
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Everton have had their problems this season, but there is no question that the Toffees are firmly in the race for the top four, with just six points separating them from fourth-placed Chelsea, with a game in hand.
Carlo Ancelotti's side went five league matches without a victory between March 8 and April 16, which harmed their top-four challenge, but they recorded a 1-0 win at Arsenal on April 23 courtesy of an own goal from Bernd Leno in the 76th minute of the contest.
Everton have a huge game away to West Ham United on May 9 and will want to be within touching distance of the Champions League spots when they head to the London Stadium for their next away match.
Home form has been a problem for the Toffees during the 2020-21 campaign, collecting just 19 points from 16 matches, suffering seven defeats in the process.
The Merseyside club have been impressive on their travels, though, boasting the fourth-best record in the Premier League, winning 10 of their 16 matches and suffering just three defeats.
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Villa, meanwhile, will enter this weekend's contest off the back of a 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion last time out; Dean Smith's side actually trailed until the final exchanges, when Keinan Davis levelled the scores to all but end the away team's hopes of staying in the division.
The visitors have won 13, drawn six and lost 13 of their 32 league matches this season to collect 45 points, which has left them in 11th position in the table, eight points behind seventh-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Villa have seen their hopes of a European spot evaporate in recent weeks, but it has still been a successful campaign, and they will fancy their chances of finishing in the top half of the division.
Smith's side currently boast a game in hand over both Leeds United and Arsenal, and they are only two points behind the Whites, who currently sit in the position directly behind Everton.
Villa have won seven of their 16 away Premier League matches this term, but they have only picked up one point from their last three on the road to Sheffield United, Newcastle United and Liverpool.
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Team News
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Everton could have Michael Keane available following a thigh problem, but it seems likely that Ancelotti will stick with the same back four that featured at the Emirates Stadium.
Abdoulaye Doucoure and Jean-Philippe Gbamin are both still absent, but the Toffees are otherwise in excellent shape, and it could be the exact XI that started against the Gunners.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and James Rodriguez should all feature in attacking spots, while Andre Gomes should get the nod over Tom Davies to feature alongside Allan in midfield.
As for Villa, Morgan Sanson and Trezeguet are still unavailable for selection through injury, while the match will come too soon for Jack Grealish, who is still recovering from a calf problem.
Matty Cash will be back in the side at right-back, while Jacob Ramsey could feature in the middle of the park, with Ross Barkley potentially dropping down to the bench.
Davis is in contention for a start, having found the back of the net against West Brom, but it seems more likely that the forward will again be on the bench, with Bertrand Traore retaining his spot in a wide area.
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Coleman, Godfrey, Holgate, Digne; Allan, Gomes; Richarlison, Rodriguez, Sigurdsson; Calvert-Lewin
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Ramsey, Luiz, McGinn; El Ghazi, Watkins, Traore
We say: Everton 1-0 Aston Villa
Everton's home form this season has been disappointing, and Villa are more than capable of making this a tough match for Ancelotti's side. The Toffees need to win as they chase a top-four spot, though, and we are backing the Merseyside club to emerge victorious courtesy of a 1-0 success.
Top tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Matt Law
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Everton win with a probability of 38.16%. A win for Aston Villa had a probability of 36.41% and a draw had a probability of 25.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Everton win was 1-0 with a probability of 8.79%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.44%) and 2-0 (6.18%). The likeliest Aston Villa win was 0-1 (8.55%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.01%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with an 8.2% likelihood.
