West Ham United will go up vs Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, hoping to boost their survival chances with a win.
David Moyes’s men are currently 16th in the Premier League table, and they cannot afford to drop points at this stage of the season. West Ham are just one point clear of the drop zone and they could find themselves back into the bottom three if they lose here vs Aston Villa.
Aston Villa are currently 11th in the standings, and they will be hoping to move into the top half with a victory here. The Villans have picked up two consecutive victories in the league against Everton and Crystal Palace. And Unai Emery will be hoping to extend that run against a vulnerable West Ham.
The Hammers have picked up just one win from their last five league matches. And they are coming into this game on the back of a thumping defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion. The home fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players. And it remains to be seen whether they can bounce back.
Attention turns to Aston Villa 👊#WHUFC | @huboofulfilment pic.twitter.com/54VkhuQQp5
— West Ham United (@WestHam) March 10, 2023
Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
David Moyes is without the services of Vladimir Coufal and Lukasz Fabianski. Fabianski is ruled out of the game with a fractured cheekbone and eye socket. Moyes is likely to field his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Alphonse Areola in goal.
Ben Johnson and Emerson Palmieri are likely to line up as the full-backs. Nayef Aguerd will partner with Angelo Ogbonna at the heart of the defence. West Ham are expected to defend deep and hit Aston Villa on the counter.
In the midfield double pivot, Declan Rice will partner with Tomas Soucek. The two players will be expected to protect the central defenders and set up counter-attacking opportunities.
Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma will look to add pace and creativity from the wide areas, while Lucas Paqueta looks to link the attack with the midfield and add creativity in the final third. Finally, Danny Ings will lead the line for West Ham against his former club.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Johnson, Aguerd, Ogbonna, Emerson; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Ings
Aston Villa
Unai Emery has a number of injury problems heading into this game. And the visitors are without Diego Carlos, Philippe Coutinho, Boubacar Kamara and Jed Steer. Most of these players are expected to return after the international break.
Emery is likely to deploy his side in a 4-4-2 formation, with the in-demand Emiliano Martinez in goal. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne are expected to start as the full-backs, and they will look to provide creativity and service from the wide areas. Ezri Konsa will partner Tyrone Mings at the heart of the defence. The duo will be expected to keep their former teammate Danny Ings quiet.
John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey are likely to be used as inverted playmakers, and they will look to add some width to the side and numbers to the midfield as well. Douglas Luiz will be the defensive midfielder here, and he will look to break up the West Ham play and win the ball back for his side.
Calum Chambers is set to support him with his defensive contribution in the middle of the park as well. Finally, Leon Bailey is set to lead the line alongside Ollie Watkins.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Chambers, Luiz, Ramsey; Watkins, Bailey
Key Stats
- West Ham United have won their last five matches against Aston Villa in all competitions.
- Aston Villa have lost five of their past six Premier League away games in London.
- West Ham striker Danny Ings scored six Premier League goals for Aston Villa this season.
- Ollie Watkins has scored in each of his past three Premier League away games.
- No team has scored more Premier League goals in the opening 15 minutes of games this season than Aston Villa (9).
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
Unai Emery on in-form #avfc ace Ollie Watkins: "Every day when we are finishing training, he wants to do more exercises and do more at the end of training, with individual coaches. Sometimes we have to stop him and say, ‘No, that is enough for today’. But it’s good." ⚽ pic.twitter.com/szAYdqUIql
— Ashley Preece (@PreeceObserver) March 3, 2023
The 27-year-old striker has been in remarkable form in recent weeks, and he is our man to watch out for. West Ham have a vulnerable defence, and Brighton & Hove Albion managed to tear them apart in the last game.
Watkins has the quality and form to cause all sorts of problems for the home side here. The Aston Villa star has scored five goals in his last six outings, and he will fancy his chances of getting on the scoresheet once again.
Prediction
West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa
Both teams will be looking to pick up all three points here for very different reasons. West Ham are looking to preserve their status as a Premier League club, and they will be desperate to pick up all three points. On the other hand, Villa will be looking to finish the season strongly and they are chasing a top-half finish.
Villa are undoubtedly the better side on current form, but the Hammers are likely to fight tooth and nail for a vital result here. This is likely to be a close contest and the two teams should cancel each other out in the end. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between the two sides.
