Premier League: Aston Villa vs Everton 18/01/2026

Betting on Goals

Aston Villa’s season was on an upward trajectory until that painful defeat against Arsenal. I believe that result seriously damaged any title ambitions they may have had. It was a major six-pointer to lose; however, they are still very well placed in the race for a Champions League spot. Their away performance against Tottenham at the weekend was almost flawless — they controlled the match from start to finish, and in every game they have shown resilience and hard work, beating all opponents in the league apart from Arsenal.

Crystal Palace managed to hold them to a draw in the previous round, but back at home Villa should be strong enough to beat Everton on Sunday. Everton have just one win in their last six matches and produced one of the worst penalty shootouts in recent history, missing three consecutive kicks against Sunderland and being knocked out of the cup. That defeat has virtually ended their season and condemned them to another year of mid-table mediocrity.

Frankly, there is little value in backing Villa to win this match, as bookmakers have priced them very short and I can’t see Everton causing any real surprises. However, I’ve noticed that a bet on over 2.5 goals has landed in eight of Aston Villa’s last ten league matches, and while Everton have shown at times that they can keep things tight, I think the scoreline here will be closer to the 4–2 defeat they suffered at home to Brentford a couple of weeks ago. For that reason, the over 2.5 goals market looks appealing for this game. I think it’s worth a punt, as Villa should break down Everton’s defence without too much trouble — just don’t back Everton if they get a penalty!