Everton vs Aston Villa Prediction: Grealish to haunt Villans on Merseyside

Aston Villa, desperately searching for a first victory - and goal - of the season, head to Merseyside this weekend, as they take on Everton at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday afternoon (15:00 BST). The Blues, meanwhile, are in good nick after back-to-back Premier League wins over Brighton and Wolves.

Below are my Everton vs Aston Villa predictions, alongside all the essential team news and match odds.

Team News

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring) remains injured for the Blues, while Iliman Ndiaye (knock) and Vitalii Mykolenko (groin) face late fitness checks ahead of Saturday's game.

Adam Aznou (ankle) and Nathan Patterson (hernia) have resumed full training, but Moyes appears reluctant to throw either in so soon. He said: "They're back fit. Are they match-ready to play? I'm not 100 per cent sure."

Should Ndiaye and Mykolenko be passed fit, the Scot could name an unchanged starting XI, following the 3-2 win at Wolves last time out. That would mean another start for Beto, who opened the scoring at Molineux, at the expense of big-money summer signing Thierno Barry, who is yet to get off the mark for his new side.

Deadline-day arrival Merlin Rohl, who is on loan from Freiburg, will be looking to make his debut for the Toffees on Saturday, while Tyler Dibling could receive his first league minutes since making the move from Southampton last month.

On-loan Manchester City winger Jack Grealish will start against his boyhood club.

Football Odds

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has confirmed that right-back Matty Cash will be available at Hill Dickinson Stadium, despite being forced off the field during international duty with Poland earlier this week.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who was reportedly pushing for a move to Manchester United late in the transfer window, is in contention to replace Marco Bizot in goal, with the Dutch shot-stopper conceding three goals in Villa's 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace last time out.

Deadline-day signings Harvey Elliott, Jadon Sancho and Victor Lindelof, having trained with the side throughout the international break, are all available to make their debuts this weekend, but Ross Barkley (personal issue), Andres Garcia (knock), Boubacar Kamara and ex-Everton midfielder Amadou Onana (both hamstring) are all expected to miss the trip to Merseyside.

Today's Football Fixtures

Everton vs Aston Villa Odds

Everton haven't beaten Villa at home since November 2015, but are 7/5 favourites, implying a 41.7% chance of success, to claim all three points on Saturday, with the visitors 21/10, or a 32.3% chance, to register their first win this season.

The draw is priced at 23/10, and both teams to score at 8/11.

Player Assists A Goal - Jack Grealish (EVE) Yes @ 9/2

Against his former side, whose supporters are generally pretty unkind to their former captain, you can be sure Grealish will be up for the fight on Saturday.

The 30-year-old has never scored or assisted against Villa in four prior appearances as a Manchester City player, but one of those was as a late substitute.

It's fair to say he was never the main man, or even one of the best supporting acts, at City, though, whereas at Everton, in just two Premier League starts, he has already established himself as a leading figure for the Toffees.

The 39-cap international has delivered two assists in each of his two league starts against Brighton and Wolves, doubling his combined tally over the last two seasons, and he's well on course to surpass his best-ever tally of 10 in his final campaign for Villa (2020/21).

The Villans, after conceding three at home to Crystal Palace last time out, are there for the taking this weekend, and September's Premier League Player of the Month will be sensing an opportunity to get one over his old side.

Grealish will be determined to start where he left off before the international break, and another impressive performance, with an assist or two to boot, on Saturday, could go a long way to earning him a recall to the next England squad.

Player to Receive a Card - Matty Cash (AVL) @ 3/1

Cash has been a regular in Premier League referee notebooks since making the move to Villa Park from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2020, receiving at least seven yellows in four of his five top-flight seasons.

The 28-year-old has already been booked this term, in Villa's last match against Palace, and knows what it feels like to be cautioned away at Everton, having picked up a yellow in a 1-0 win at Goodison Park in January 2022.

It remains to be seen whether Cash starts on Saturday following an iffy start to the season, but his confidence should be high after netting in both of Poland's September internationals against the Netherlands and Finland.

He'll have a tough task on his hands against his friend and former teammate, Grealish, though, with the Everton loanee winning nine free-kicks in just three Premier League appearances (two starts for the Toffees), including seven last time out at Wolves.

Cash has previous with Grealish, having committed three fouls against him at Villa Park in December 2024. The Villa right-back made all three fouls inside the first 37 minutes, and was booked for the last of those offences.

At 3/1, implying a 25% chance, Cash looks good odds to pick up another card against the ex-Villan.

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