Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa predictions and betting tips – Emery’s team still in title race

Aston Villa returned to winning ways on Saturday, beating Nottingham Forest 3-1 to remain six points behind Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.

Unai Emery’s side are outsiders, but as things stand they are in the title conversation. But Crystal Palace have been Villa’s bogey team in recent years. Which way will this one go?

• Select Aston Villa to win – 7/5 with BetVictor
• Go for Aston Villa to win the second half – 7/4 with 247Bet
• Tip Morgan Rogers to score any time – 12/5 with SBK

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa odds

Find the latest Bayer Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa predictions

Aston Villa’s home game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday was more significant than it looked.

Having lost 4-1 to Arsenal a few days earlier, it was essential that Unai Emery’s side bounced back on home turf.

A failure to do so would have left Villa trailing Premier League leaders Arsenal by nine points, a deficit that would surely have proven unbridgeable.

As it was, Villa took care of business. It took them a while to get going against an obdurate Forest team, who packed men behind the ball and defended deep. 

Ollie Watkins’s goal in first-half stoppage time was key to breaking Forest’s resolve. John McGinn doubled the lead early in the second period, and although the visitors pulled one back through Morgan Gibbs-White, McGinn grabbed his second to put the game beyond Forest.

The bookies may rank them as distant third-favourites, but as things stand Villa must be considered title contenders.

Their underlying numbers are nowhere near as convincing as those of Arsenal or Manchester City, but Villa have a knack for edging tight games. In Emery, they also have one of Europe’s best managers in the dugout.

Even if Villa ultimately fall away in the second half of the season, they have put themselves in a fantastic position to qualify for the Champions League.

After failing to win any of their first five games this term, and failing to score in their first four, Villa fans would have settled for that.

Emery’s side were well beaten by Arsenal in the end, but zoom out a little and they are still in remarkable form. Villa have won 12 of their last 13 matches in all competitions, and 11 of their last 13 in the Premier League.

Crystal Palace ran out of steam over the festive period, their thin squad stretched to breaking point by a first ever European campaign and a run to the latter stages of the EFL Cup.

Their latest bout of disappointment came on Sunday, as Palace were beaten 2-0 by Newcastle United after their opponents got on top in the second half.

This can still be a fantastic campaign for the south Londoners, but right now they need to find a second wind.

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa betting tips

Crystal Palace host Aston Villa in the latest round of midweek Premier League fixtures.

Villa to win again

Despite Crystal Palace’s poor recent form, Aston Villa will head to Selhurst Park with a degree of trepidation.

Palace have been Villa’s bogey team during Glasner’s tenure. They have won five of the last six meetings between the pair, with the other a creditable 2-2 draw at Villa Park. 

That sequence includes a 3-0 victory in last season’s FA Cup semi-final, a performance which went down as one of Palace’s greatest of all time.

Yet this feels like a golden opportunity for Villa to register their first triumph over Palace since September 2023.

Mental and physical fatigue has set in at Selhurst, and Villa can take advantage by grabbing all three points on Wednesday.

Select Aston Villa to win at 7/5 with BetVictor

Villa to come on strong

Crystal Palace have played 32 games so far this campaign, more than any other team in the division.

The load has taken its toll of late, with Palace particularly vulnerable to fading in the second half of matches – something we saw against Newcastle at the weekend.

Their record in that portion of games at Selhurst is poor: Palace rank 16th in the second-half home table for 2025/26.

Aston Villa, on the other hand, sit second in the second-half standings away from home. Emery’s side will come on strong as this match wears on.

Go for Aston Villa to win the second half at 7/4 with 247Bet

Rogers to make mark

Despite a mediocre start, Rogers has been one of the players of the Premier League season so far. 

It is not hard to see why Thomas Tuchel sees him as a rival to Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden in the No.10 role. 

Rogers is not merely decorating games; he is deciding them. The attacking midfielder has had a direct hand in 11 goals this term, scoring seven times and providing four assists.

Rogers can thrive in transition or in phases of established possession, making him the ideal player for this versatile Villa outfit. He is our pick to make the net bulge on Wednesday night.

Tip Morgan Rogers to score any time at 12/5 with SBK

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa predicted lineups

• Crystal Palace expected lineup: Henderson; Canvot, Lacroix, Guehi; Devenny, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Johnson, Mateta, Pino.
• Aston Villa expected lineup: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Lindelof, Maatsen; Kamara, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins.

Where to watch Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa

• Location: Selhurst Park, London, England.
• Date and time: Wednesday 7th January, 7.30pm.
• How to watch: Sky Sports+.

More Premier League predictions

We have plenty more Premier League predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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