[ad_1]
Verdict: Home win
Best odds: 51/100
Bookmaker: ZetBet
Aston Villa will aim to bounce back from defeat as they host a struggling West Ham United at Villa Park for a Premier League clash on Sunday afternoon.
The Villans suffered a midweek loss to Monaco in European action, while the Hammers have had a free week to reflect on their recent home defeat to Crystal Palace.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa’s promising start to 2025, marked by a four-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, ended on Tuesday with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Monaco in the Champions League, courtesy of Wilfried Singo’s first-half strike.
Despite the setback, Villa remain in a strong position in the 36-team League Phase, sitting ninth and level on points with the top eight as they aim to secure an automatic spot in the last 16 ahead of next week’s final fixtures.
Domestically, Unai Emery’s side showcased resilience in their last Premier League outing, recovering from a deficit to draw 2-2 against title-chasing Arsenal, thanks to second-half goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins.
Returning to Villa Park for the first time in over two weeks, the Villans will look to extend their 10-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League, with only Arsenal (14) maintaining a longer streak.
Currently four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, Villa aim to complete a Premier League double over West Ham for the first time since the 2010-11 season, having won at the London Stadium in August.
Team News
Aston Villa are coping without their preferred midfield duo, as Belgium international Amadou Onana remains sidelined with a hamstring strain sustained at the Emirates earlier this month. While Onana recovers, Tielemans is expected to partner Boubacar Kamara in midfield.
With Ross Barkley also out due to a calf injury, Morgan Rogers may take up an advanced-midfield role, allowing winter signing Donyell Malen to feature on the right wing.
Following Diego Carlos’s move to Fenerbahce and Pau Torres’s foot injury, Villa are short in central defense, leaving Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings to continue their partnership.
The Villans are also without another midfielder, with Scottish star John McGinn sidelined by a hamstring issue.
West Ham
After over a year out of management following his departure from Chelsea in 2023, Graham Potter saw West Ham’s vacant role as a good opportunity to return, but it seems he’s been thrown straight into the Premier League deep end in East London.
The 49-year-old began his tenure with a defeat in the FA Cup at Villa Park on January 10, and his first two top-flight games at the London Stadium have brought mixed results, with the most recent ending in a chastening loss to Crystal Palace last weekend.
West Ham, now leapfrogged by the Eagles in the Premier League table, failed to record a single shot on target against Dean Henderson’s goal, suggesting that Potter’s switch to a back-five formation may have hampered their attacking play.
Though they now sit midtable, a far cry from their historic Conference League success under David Moyes, the Hammers are not in immediate danger of relegation, being 10 points clear of 18th-placed Ipswich Town.
Only Everton (6), Southampton (8), and Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United (10) have scored fewer away goals than West Ham’s 11 in the Premier League this season, with their only road win in the last five matches coming against Ivan Juric’s Saints on Boxing Day.
Team News
Potter is facing an injury crisis early in his West Ham tenure, with Michail Antonio (leg), Jarrod Bowen (foot), and Niclas Fullkrug (hamstring) all unavailable.
Konstantinos Mavropanos is also suspended for the trip to Villa Park after receiving two yellow cards in the loss to Palace last weekend.
West Ham’s defensive options are further limited by the absence of summer signing Jean-Clair Todibo (muscle injury), while winger Crysencio Summerville (hamstring) remains a doubt for Sunday’s match.
Conclusion
Aston Villa, unbeaten at home in the Premier League since late August, should be full of confidence heading into this weekend’s match at Villa Park.
West Ham, dealing with several injury and suspension concerns, face a tough challenge on this trip, and it’s expected that the Hammers will suffer defeat in Birmingham.
Verdict: Home win
Best odds: 51/100
Bookmaker: ZetBet
[ad_2]
Source link