Aston Villa will be looking to avoid consecutive defeats when they take on a well-rested West Ham United side at Villa Park.
Unai Emery will have been disappointed at the outcome of the midweek UEFA Champions League fixture, as Monaco got the better of Aston Villa, who take on West Ham United up next at Villa Park on Sunday evening.
An early goal from Wilfried Singo proved enough for the hosts to fight on and keep hold of the Villa attackers. The loss did harm the English side’s chance of finishing in the top eight, although there’s still one more game, and they are currently sitting in the ninth spot.
On to domestic matters, Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last 10 games at home across all competitions, and Emery will want to continue that run. Last weekend, they staged a stunning fightback from going two goals down away at Arsenal to snatch a draw courtesy of goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins.
Meanwhile, the objective for Aston Villa in the Premier League would be to get back into the mix of a top-four position. Currently, they are four points off fourth-placed Chelsea, with three teams stuck between those two. So, Emery will want a statement victory over West Ham when they come to visit Birmingham.
Graham Potter will take his West Ham side to Villa Park for the second time in a fortnight, having faced Aston Villa in their FA Cup defeat earlier. Back then, it took a late resurgence from the host to take a victory as the Hammers had managed to keep hold of them for a long time in the game.
That was also Potter’s first game in charge of the Hammers, and the team responded in the very next game with a win over Fulham. West Ham were back to old habits last weekend when they were beaten at home by Crystal Palace, as a Jean-Philippe Mateta brace proved enough, while Dinos Mavropanos was sent off for a second bookable offence between the two Eagles goals.
Potter will want a revenge of sorts against Villa to build momentum as well as climb up in the standings. The Hammers are currently languishing in 14th, although they are a comfortable 10 points off the relegation zone. However, a win over Villa would do a world of good in terms of building confidence for the players as well as the managers.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Aston Villa are without a host of their key players ahead of this clash with West Ham United, with Amadou Onana being the latest casualty. The Belgian midfielder was taken off against Arsenal with a hamstring strain.
They are also missing John McGinn and Ross Barkley. In addition, defender Pau Torres continues to stay on the sidelines, which means Tyrone Mings will once again partner Ezri Konsa at the heart of the defence. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne could start in the full-back roles.
Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara form the central midfield pairing. Morgan Rogers will feature in the attacking midfield role, with Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey on either side. West Ham failing with bids for Duran earlier in the month. Meanwhile, the striker will continue his time on the Aston Villa bench, as Emery will continue to prefer Watkins to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Tielemans, Kamara; Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins
West Ham United
Graham Potter will have to make do with a host of his players being unavailable for this trip, with another one doubtful. The big issue has been the availability of strikers, with Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug ruled out for a long-term period.
Alternative choice Jarrod Bowen is also out of the equation with a foot injury, meaning Potter might look to use Lucas Paqueta in a false-nine role, which has brought about mixed results. He did have a goal against Fulham starting in that position, which is something Potter might look for once again, as Mohammed Kudus could revert to a wide role.
Tomas Soucek will play behind Paqueta, with the support of Carlos Soler and Kudus on either side. Behind them, Edson Alvares and Guido Rodriguez will start in the central midfield roles. Jean-Clair Todibo will be out of the squad with an injury, meaning Max Kilman will partner with Asron Cresswell as Mavropanos is suspended following his sending-off against Palace.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Cresswell, Emerson; Alvarez, Rodriguez; Kudus, Soucek, Soler; Paqueta
Key Stats
- Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last ten games on home soil across all competitions.
- Aston Villa are undefeated in their last five matches against West Ham United in all competitions.
- West Ham have conceded at least two goals in their last four matches in the Premier League.
- Only three more teams have netted fewer away goals than West Ham in the Premier League.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
There is a lot of chatter at Aston Villa ahead of this clash, with West Ham grabbing the headlines following their bids for Duran in recent days. While the Hammers have failed to convince Villa for the striker, the Colombian has continued his spell on the bench, and Watkins is the main reason for this.
Watkins has been in the form of late as Unai Emery feels the England international is the right choice to lead the line over the inexperienced Jhon Duran. For the striker, it is imperative to put in a big performance on the pitch and not risk Emery using the Colombian to come in and make an impact in the game, much similar to how he did earlier in the season with a late winner against the Hammers.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham United
The Hammers are in a mixed run of form, and Graham Potter will have understood plenty about the team dynamics in their loss to Crystal Palace last weekend. However, they are well rested without any European or midweek action, although they might still be a bit short on quality compared to Villa.
Unai Emery will want to continue an unbeaten run at home when he faces West Ham here on Sunday, and he will want a better performance from his players compared to how they fared in midweek. Aston Villa have the quality to hurt the opposition’s defence, get a decent win in the bag, and march towards a top-four place.
