- Everton have lost six of their 10 home matches in the Premier League 
- Both teams have scored in 11 of Aston Villa's last 14 league matches 
- Recommended bet: Over 3.5 Goals

Everton responded superbly to their 10-point deduction, winning four of their first five Premier League matches after their punishment, but the Toffees hit a sticky patch of form over the Christmas period.

Only goal difference is keeping Sean Dyche's side out of the relegation zone after three straight defeats to Tottenham, Manchester City and Wolves and they face an FA Cup third-round replay against Crystal Palace on Wednesday after drawing 0-0 at Selhurst Park. 

Aston Villa edged past Middlesbrough 1-0 in the cup and it promises to be an exciting 2024 for Unai Emery's men, who started the year in second place in the Premier League and are also favourites to win the Europa Conference League.

Team news

Everton hope to welcome back influential midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure after a five-match absence. 

Dwight McNeil is set to miss out and Idrissa Gueye is at the Africa Cup of Nations but striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is available after his red card against Crystal Palace was rescinded. 

Aston Villa's Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans are back in training and could feature. 

Lucas Digne, Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings remain sidelined, while Bertrand Traore is on international duty. 

The stats

Everton have lost six of their 10 home matches in the Premier League.

The Toffees have lost all five of their games against top-five clubs this season.

Three of Everton's six home defeats were by a 1-0 scoreline.

Both teams have scored in 11 of Aston Villa's last 14 league matches.

Only four of Villa's 13 league wins have come away from home this season.

Villa have conceded just nine first-half goals in 20 league games in 2023-24.

Prediction

Everton and Aston Villa meet for the third time this season and another exciting clash is expected at Goodison Park. 

Villa romped to a 4-0 league win over the Toffees in August but Everton won 2-1 on their return to Villa Park in the EFL Cup in September, inflicting Villa's only home defeat in their last 22 games in all competitions. 

The best bet at Goodison may be over 3.5 goals as both teams' defences have struggled in recent weeks. 

Villa let slip a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 at Manchester United in their last away fixture in the top flight before a nervy 3-2 home win over 10-man Burnley. 

Everton conceded eight goals in defeats to Spurs, champions City and Wolves although they showed plenty of attacking intent during those games. 

Dyche's men had eight shots on target and hit the woodwork against Tottenham, led City 1-0 at half-time, and winger Dwight McNeil was denied by the post at Molineux. 

Everton fans will be hoping to see the fit-again Abdoulaye Doucoure linking up with striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin again as the Toffees have won four of the last five league games in which the pair started, scoring 10 goals. 

But Villa, who have won their last five league meetings with Everton, pose a serious threat to the home defence. 

There have been over 2.5 goals in 14 of their first 20 matches of the campaign and 11 of those featured over 3.5 goals so going for goals looks the best betting strategy on Sunday. 

Back Over 3.5 Goals, available at 13/8 with LiveScore Bet

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