Aston Villa are desperate to snap a three-match English Premier League losing streak when they host relegation-threatened West Ham on Sunday.
Villa’s most recent 3-1 defeat to Manchester United was their third in a row as the desperation for a positive result increases. Despite the horrible run of form, they remain in fourth place with 51 points.
They host a West Ham side as desperate for points as they battle to avoid relegation. The Hammers are coming off a hard fought 1-1 draw against Manchester City in their last outing.
With one defeat in their last five Premier League matches, they are in 18th place with 29 points and even a point here would see them climb out of the relegation zone.
The urgency for points for both these teams is apparent, albeit for completely different reasons. Villa remain intent on maintaining a top four finish to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Can Villa bounce back to complete a league double over a resurgent West Ham? We have a look at the key stats and offer our predicted outcome.
What time does Aston Villa vs West Ham start?
The game kicks off at 5:15PM at Villa Park.
Aston Villa vs West Ham team news
The usually reliable pair of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins will be key to a potential victory for Villa here. Both players have scored eight goals this season.
Youri Tielemans is back in training but will settle for a place on the bench with Amadou Onana and John McGinn retaining their spots in the starting XI.
Despite the recent poor run of form, the rest of the side is expected to remain unchanged.
The visiting West Ham remain without Crysencio Summerville who has been instrumental for them this season. Taty Castellanos will then come into the starting lineup.
Top scorer Jarrod Bowen will hope to break his duck here, having not scored since late January.
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Aston Villa vs West Ham head-to-head and current form
The hosts have lost three consecutive league games for the first time this season. They have only managed two wins in their last five games – both in the Europa League.
The Hammers on the other hand have only lost once in their last five games, a 5-2 loss to Liverpool. They followed that up with a 1-0 win at Fulham before knocking Brentford out of the FA Cup.
West Ham have not beaten Villa in either of their last five matches against them, losing three times and settling for a point in the other two games.
Aston Villa vs West Ham previous games
Aston Villa vs West Ham prediction
There is nothing from their recent games to show that Villa are favorites because of home advantage. With only eight games left, both teams will be wary of that fact and this could provide for a cagey encounter.
There were five goals scored the last time they met and this could be more to go on, rather than picking an actual winner.
Prediction – Both teams to score – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!