Matchday 9 of the Premier League has two high stakes clashes on Sunday, October 26th, with the European race heating up. In league contenders Manchester City's visit to Villa Park to play a stubborn Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur's trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium to play an unbeaten-at-home Everton side. We give a full preview of both fixtures, looking at the form, the key tactical battles, and making predictions about the important results that will affect the top half of the table.

• Date: Sunday, October 26th, 2025

• Kick-off Time: 2:00 PM UTC

• Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham

Aston Villa is enjoying a fine run of form, currently sitting 11th in the league table. They have found consistency and are coming off a significant away victory.

Current Position of the League: 11th (12 points from 8 games).

Recent Form (Last 5): W-W-W-D-D (in all competitions).

Key Stat: Their recent away 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur showcased their capability to blend tenacity with opportunism.

Manchester City enters the match in familiar form, ranking second in the Premier League standings. They are on a four-match winning run in all competitions.

Current League Position: 2nd (16 points from 8 games).

Recent League Form (Last 5): W-W-W-D-W (in all competitions).

Key Stat: Erling Haaland tops the league in goals with 11.

Last 5 H2H Meetings (Premier League) Result

Recent Edge: Manchester City is unbeaten in 17 of their last 19 meetings with Aston Villa in all competitions.

Goal Trend: Aston Villa and Manchester City have not drawn any of their last five meetings.

Villa will retain the core of the squad that impressed, though there are players carrying knocks.

• Injured/Out: Youri Tielemans (out). Lucas Digne (cut on the ankle) is a doubt, making Ian Maatsen a likely deputy.

• Key Players: Ollie Watkins should lead the line. Emiliano Buendía will likely be an impact sub.

City has a big midfield concern, forcing tactical reshuffling.

• Injured/Out: Central defensive midfielder Rodri (hamstring) and Abdukodir Khusanov.

• Doubtful: Nico González (knock).

• Key Players: Erling Haaland (top scorer) and Phil Foden should start.

Aston Villa Predicted XI (4-3-3): Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Onana, Kamara, McGinn; Buendía, Rogers, Watkins.

Manchester City Predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Rúben Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Kovačić; Savinho, Reijnders, Foden, Doku; Haaland.

1. Emery's Counter-Attack vs Guardiola's Possession: Unai Emery's organization counterattack and rigid defensive line will be up against Manchester City's persistent football possession. City will attempt to retake control with Rodri out.

2. Watkins/Rogers vs Dias/Gvardiol: Villa’s forward threat, especially Ollie Watkins, will face the stern test of City's elite central defense.

• Date: 26th October 2025

• Match Time: 3:30 PM UTC

• Location: Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool

Everton has a strong home record at their new stadium; they have been having trouble winning lately.

Position: Currently position at 12th (11 points from 8 games).

Recent Form (Last 5): L-W-D-L-D (in all competitions).

Key Stat: In all competitions, Everton has defeated Tottenham at home seven times in a row.

Tottenham have been playing well away from home, though a four-game unbeaten streak was recently ended. They travel here on the back of a tiring European adventure.

Current League Position: 6th (14 points from 8 games).

Recent League Form (Last 5): L-D-D-W-L (all competitions).

Key Stat: Tottenham are the sole team yet to lose on the road in the Premier League this term.

Last 5 H2H Meetings (Premier League) Result

• Recent Trend: Tottenham is winless in their last six away matches against the Toffees.

Everton welcomes back a key attacker but still has striker concerns.

• Key Return: Jack Grealish returns to contention after missing out against his parent club last weekend.

• Injured/Out: Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring surgery) and Nathan Patterson are ruled out.

Spurs continue to struggle with a lengthy injury list, particularly at the back.

• Injured/Out: Cristian Romero (adductor strain), Destiny Udogie (knee), James Maddison (ACL), and Dominic Solanke (ankle surgery).

• Doubtful: Wilson Odobert (rib issue).

Everton Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O'Brien, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Beto.

Tottenham Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bentancur; Kudus, Bergvall, Simons; Richarlison.

1. Everton's Defense vs Spurs' Attack: Everton's home solidity (unbeaten in four at the new stadium) will test Spurs, who have struggled to create chances in their last two outings.

2. Ndiaye vs Porro/Spence: Everton's goal threat, Iliman Ndiaye (one of the league's top dribblers), will challenge the Spurs defense.

Odds obtained for information purposes.

Match 01: Everton and Tottenham Hotspur

Match 02: Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa

Value Picks and Best Bets

Aston Villa vs Man City: Due to Man City's decent all-around form and Villa's tendency to score at home, Both Teams to Score (BTTS – Yes) is the value bet.

Everton vs Tottenham: Considering Everton's unbeaten record at home against Spurs and Spurs' reliance on their excellent away form, a Draw offers good value.

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This will be a tight tussle between Villa's organizational rigidity and City's relentless quality. Despite Villa's record at home and Man City's midfield issues (unavailability of Rodri), the champions' goalscoring potency, spearheaded by the indefatigable Erling Haaland, should be enough to secure a high-quality game by a narrow margin. But Villa will certainly get the back of the net.

• Final Score Prediction: Aston Villa 1 - 2 Manchester City

Tottenham's extensive injury list, allied to a quick turnaround from European efforts, means this is a difficult journey. Everton will be eager to preserve their new stadium's unbeaten record and will be encouraged by the availability of Grealish. Given the record of draws in this fixture, and Everton's recent home defensive form, a shared result is the most likely outcome.

• Final Score Prediction: Everton 1 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur

These Matchday 9 fixtures will be instrumental in determining the cadence of the top six. A win for Manchester City would see them right back on the heels of Arsenal, while anything less than a win for Tottenham may see themselves falling behind in the fight for European qualification. The result at the Hill Dickinson Stadium will be particularly enlightening, testing both Everton's home form and Tottenham's ability to cope with their deepening injury crisis.