Premier League: Aston Villa Visit West Ham with Bad Intentions

West Ham United vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa are keen to extend their winning streak to four consecutive Premier League games when they’ll visit West Ham United. The Villans have found their groove lately and they have plans on fighting to return to Europe by the end of this term.

Steven Gerrard’s side is now at ninth place with 36 points and it seems that their bad start to 2022 is now on their rear-view mirror.

They would certainly prefer switching places with West Ham United right now as the Hammers are sitting at sixth with 45 points. But David Moyes’ men have stuttered lately and they’re eager to get back to winning ways.

When these two squared off during their reverse fixture, Aston Villa had a different coach back then, so this is the first time that Steven Gerrard will have a crack at the Hammers in a coaching capacity. 

Talking Points

Tough stretch for West Ham United

Three consecutive losses in the last two weeks have sent the Hammers down to Earth and they must pick themselves up in order to stay alive in the top four race.

After going undefeated in four straight league fixtures last month, West Ham United were dumped out of the FA Cup fifth round by Southampton, and they lost against Liverpool in the league and to Sevilla during the first leg of Europa League Round of 16 tie.

With a busy schedule at their hands, David Moyes has the unenviable job of rotating his players while not sacrificing their performance on the pitch, so it would help if he has a full squad to choose from.

Jarrod Bowen, who has contributed to 23 goals for the Hammers this season, suffered an injury scare during their defeat to Liverpool. Fortunately for West Ham, his heel injury isn’t that serious.

He was rested in yesterday’s match against Sevilla and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be back in the starting lineup this weekend.

We do expect him to play, though, and he should be able to link up with the likes of Pablo Fornals, Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, Michail Antonio, and Said Benrahma up front.

Aston Villa keep on rolling

The Villans maintained their magnificent form with another comprehensive victory against the downtrodden Leeds. Philippe Coutinho kickstarted the scoring in the first half, while Matty Cash and Calum Chambers put the game away in the second half.

It was another clean sheet for them, which should put a smile on Steven Gerrard’s face, and now they’ve returned to the top half of the table.

Steve Gerrard’s project is coming along thanks to their additions last January. Philippe Coutinho is enjoying his new lease on life at Villa while Calum Chambers is finally showing the world what he’s got.

Coutinho and Chambers were both considered outcasts in Bayern Munich and Arsenal respectively, so both have been playing with a chip on their shoulders.

History

West Ham United have had Aston Villa’s number recently as they’ve won each of their last three league games against them, which is their longest winning run over them since a six-game run between 1964 ro 1967.

In addition, the Villans have yet to win in their last six away games against West Ham United (D3, L3), and they’ve failed to score on four of those matches since 2011.

Their reverse fixture took place in November where West Ham United hammered Aston Villa with a 4-1 scoreline.

Ben Johnson, Declan Rice, Pablo Fornals, and Jarrod Bowen all scored for the Hammers to nullify Ollie Watkins’ consolation goal for the Villans, while Ezri Konsa was sent off at the 50^th-minute to reduce the Villans to 10 men.

The said defeat cost Dean Smith his coaching job as he parted ways with the Villans few days later. Smith eventually signed a two-and-a-half year deal with Norwich City while Steven Gerrard shortly replaced him.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Premier League 2022 odds are favouring West Ham United this contest. But unlike in their previous meeting, this should be a closer tiff.

West Ham United are installed at 2.28 to win, while Aston Villa are pegged at 3.10 and chances for a draw are at 3.25 in the 1X2 market. However, the result for this matchup is a tough one to call so it’s hard to rule anything out just yet.

But with the number of quality players present, this game is going to be littered with numerous Premier League 2022 highlights, so we’re recommending to go for Over 2.50 @ 1.90 with confidence.

 

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