At A Glance
Aston Villa and Everton meet for the first time this season at Goodison Park on Saturday evening (ko 8pm).
The teams have two wins between them in their last 10 games as they search for form heading into the final weeks of the season.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton ended a four-game winless run last time out, beating Arsenal 1-0 at Emirates Stadium.
That result left them eighth in the table, seven points and three places above Villa heading into the game.
Keinan Davis’ stoppage-time leveller against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday saved his side from defeat and secured a last-gasp 2-2 draw.
Dean Smith’s team have picked up the majority of their points away from home this season, avoiding defeat in 10 of their 16 road trips.
Social media boycott
Aston Villa is proud to unite with English football and wider sport in joining a social media boycott in response to the ongoing and sustained discriminatory abuse received online by players and many others.
The club will not post across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok from 3pm on Friday, April 30 to 11.59pm on Monday, May 3.
Supporters will be able to follow the action from Goodison Park, including team news, live matchday commentary blog, match centre, full-time report, gallery and post-match interviews, on the club's official website.
Standout Stats
Everton failed to win either Premier League game against Aston Villa last season (D1 L1), the first time that had happened since 2011/12. Everton last went three games without a win against the Villans between 2006 and 2012 (12 without a win).
This will be the 205th top-flight meeting between Aston Villa and Everton, the most played fixture in England’s top division. Everton have won 76 of these meetings to the Villans’ 74 (54 draws).
Aston Villa have won more games (19) and scored more goals (71) in the Premier League against Everton than they have versus any other side in the competition.
This is the latest first meeting between two sides in an English top-flight season since 1987/88, when Luton and Nottingham Forest’s first game against each other was on May 13.
Everton have lost seven Premier League home games this season – the Toffees have only lost more at Goodison Park in a 38-game season in the competition in 1996/97 and 2015/16 (8, both times).
Aston Villa have opened the scoring in each of their last three Premier League games but have failed to win any of them (D1 L2). In the first 14 games in which they scored first this season, the Villans only failed to win twice (W12 D1 L1).
Twelve of Everton’s 44 Premier League goals this season have been headers, the highest ratio in the division (27.3%).
No keeper has kept more away clean sheets in the Premier League this season than Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez (8). Only four keepers have ever kept more clean sheets on the road in their first season with a club in the competition – Shaka Hislop with West Ham in 1998/99 (9), Petr Cech with Chelsea in 2004/05 (11), Ederson with Man City in 2017/18 (9) and Liverpool’s Alisson in 2018/19 (9).
The Last Meeting
Aston Villa’s battle for Premier League survival last season was dealt a cruel blow when Theo Walcott struck late in a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.
The Toffees forward equalised with three minutes left as Villa fell three points adrift of safety.
In a close encounter, Ezri Konsa had slid in to put his side ahead with his first Premier League goal.
Team News
Matty Cash is available for selection following his one-game suspension for a red card against Manchester City.
Jack Grealish, Morgan Sanson and long-term absentee Trezeguet all remain sidelined.
The Boss
“It’s going to be a tough game, I think they’ve got a very good squad, a squad that we’re trying to build towards as well. But we’ve already proven this season that, on our day, we can beat anybody and we’ll be looking to try and do that.”
Dean Smith
The Presser
