The Premier League has always revelled in rivalry. Some because they are territorial, some because they are historical, and some because of the excitement that comes with two clubs that have met many times before. When Everton and Aston Villa take the pitch on September 13th, 2025, at 02:00 PM (UTC), football fans will see more than just a match played in the early season.

The circumstances make it irresistible: Everton are 5th in the league with 6 points, marching into Hill Dickinson Stadium with confidence before their crest and an expansive faithful against Aston Villa in 19th with 1 point and no goals, searching for confidence under Unai Emery. This is about two clubs carrying the burden of their history, the burden of expectation from their fans and how they are reinventing themselves in the modern game. It is about Moyes returning to the blue half of Merseyside with an edge and fire in his belly, and Emery attempting to reignite his squad that is rich in ability and talent but low in confidence.

There is a poetic theme to Everton's latest chapter. For a football club that nearly went bankrupt due to financial mismanagement and skimmed dangerously close to relegation in past seasons, David Moyes' return feels almost Shakespearean. The Toffees have been given a new life and opportunity, not only under the stewardship of Moyes, but also inside the new Hill Dickinson Stadium, which seems to be writing its own storied legends.

In Everton's first league match at the stadium, they beat Brighton 2-0 in a performance that was physical and structured, with some flair sprinkled in. Just before the international break, they also pulled off a rare away win at Molineux with a really entertaining effort against Wolves, edging them 3-2. As a result, the Toffees are now sitting fifth and look like they have been reborn.

The Grealish factor is the other huge discussion point. The prodigal son of Aston Villa, having been signed by Everton in the close season. Football was shocked. The Blues were the first team in England to take the dribble of player Catch 22 off his hands, giving them a creative heartbeat they have not seen in years. Grealish has four assists in three games, two of which were two assists in a game against Brighton and Wolves. 

There is a personal edge to this game. He plays for his boyhood club and in front of a new home crowd in a sense. Grealish will be a balancing act of feeling nostalgic but also ambitious. If he can pick up another two assists, he will become the first player in Premier League history to record more than one assist in three consecutive games.

Moyes is the type of manager who starts stories from sweat and steel. The Everton sides from the early 2000s matured so closely with discipline, tactical awareness and underdog principles. Two decades on, the Scot will be prepping again to lead a squad fighting above its weight.

Having nine wins in 2025 already, surpassing the whole total in 2024 of eight. They have been winning not just out of merit, but belief, structure, and being able to get an emotional lift from a stadium that feels like home.

If Everton are a phoenix rising from the ashes, Villa are the side stuck in ashes they can't shake off. After Tim Famous Gordon and Villa custodian Martinez's escape to the continents in the first half of the season, Villa looked prime for a good 2027. After narrowly missing out on a top four challenge in Season 26-27, things are coming apart rather quickly. 

Three games, 0 goals, 4 conceded, 1 point earned. For a team with Europe in their veins last season, the early season sprint could be seen as a historic catastrophe.

Villa went into the deadline day making a series of significant signings, with Harvey Elliott (loan from Liverpool), Jadon Sancho (loan from Manchester United) and Victor Lindelöf (free) all arriving. There was, however, a pronounced urgency, as they searched for three players to breathe life into what has been a struggling side. But can they gel quickly enough to save Emery from early-season despair? 

It’s not all tactical problems for Villa, but physical. Amadou Onana is a doubt, as are Ross Barkley and Boubacar Kamara. Matty Cash is also injured and couldn't finish the international break. Andres Garcia is long-term out. Even Ollie Watkins has looked a shadow of himself, still without a goal or an assist this season despite an incredible record against Everton (5 goals and 3 assists in 9 matches). 

Emery looks to juggle injuries, expectations and pressure. The Villa faithful will soon lose faith. A fourth loss in a row would make it their worst league start since 1997-98, the last time that the club went four matches without a goal in their opening four matches.

There’s always been a heavy historical weighting in Aston Villa's favour.

Moyes's Everton are pragmatic but adaptable. They defend in units, press selectively, and transition quickly. They have an aggressive and strong physical presence at the centre of their attack with Beto, and the very clever pair Iliman Ndiaye and Grealish are pulling the strings just behind.

The midfield trio of Gueye, James Garner, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall provide an abundance of energy, application in pressing, and rotational distribution. Expect Everton to overload Villa's struggling fullbacks with width and have Grealish drifting into half-spaces. 

Emery’s philosophy is straightforward: keep possession, stretch defences & use the width of the pitch. Unfortunately, without goals, possession hasn’t really mattered. Villa’s midfield trio – McGinn, Tielemans, and Elliott – must assert themselves, while both Sancho and Malen must provide Villa the creativity and cutting edge.

The issue? Their defensive structure has looked quite flimsy. With Mings and Pau Torres under the spotlight, and Martinez showing uncertainty, mostly down to not being able to leave the club, the backline looks shaky against an Everton side full of confidence.

For Everton fans, the transition from Goodison to Hill Dickinson was bittersweet — but as the lights shine on this Saturday afternoon, the new ground feels less like a replacement and more like a rebirth. The energy, the noise, the belief – they are feeding into the players.

Prediction: Everton 2-0 Aston Villa

Form cannot be ignored. Everton are flying, and Villa are floundering. The Toffees might not blow teams away, but Villa's bluntness in front of goal means they are susceptible. A 2-0 Everton victory looks the most plausible.

• Best Betting Angle: Everton Draw No Bet (-140).

• Secondary Angle: Under 2.5 goals.

When Everton and Villa take to the pitch at Hill Dickinson, it will be much more than three points. For Moyes and his Toffees, it will be about showing they have turned this corner and it is not just a flash in the pan. For Emery and Villa, the ramifications are much deeper – survival, pride and finding any semblance of belief. 

Football is a funny old game that turns everything on its head; however, on paper – and in spirit – it feels like Everton's day. However it plays out, one thing fans can guarantee: this isn't just a match – it is a story of return, rivalry, and redemption within the Premier League.