Aston Villa vs West Ham Preview: Team News & Prediction
by Alex Lawes ·
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It is the claret and blue derby at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon as UEFA Champions League chasing Aston Villa take on relegation battling West Ham United.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports / USA – NBC
How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / USA – Peacock
Aston Villa preview: Impressive Villans
Aston Villa come into this one on the back of an impressive result in midweek as they eased to a 2-0 home win against Lille, completing a 3-0 aggregate victory of the French outfit in the round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League in Birmingham.
Winning the competition may well be the only way in which Unai Emery’s side can get themselves UEFA Champions League qualification as the second city club continue to flounder and struggling in the Premier League.
West Ham preview: In the fight
West Ham United have been very good for the last couple of months, fighting back from down and out to potentially climb out of the bottom three and the relegation places, albeit still just about in the danger zone on goal difference.
The Irons shared a 1-1 draw with Manchester City at the London Stadium to mean that they have now suffered just two defeats in their last 12 matches across all competitions since losing at home to Nottingham Forest in early January.
Aston Villa team news: Tielemans to be assessed
Belgium international midfielder Youri Tielemans has been unavailable for a while but he is working his way back to full fitness and he will be assessed.
Matty Cash and Emi Buendia have recovered from injury and faced Lille on Thursday and Jadon Sancho is once again available after being unable to face his parent club.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Barkley, Onana; McGinn, Rogers, Sancho; Watkins
Unavailable: Kamara (Injured)
Questionable: Tielemans (Injured)
West Ham team news: Summerville out
Having picked up an injury with no return date yet set, key man and previously in stellar form Crysencio Summerville remains sidelined for the Hammers this weekend.
Young left-back Ollie Scarles has returned to full fitness but there are no other concerns for the Irons, aside from veteran goalkeepers Lukasz Fabianski.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf; Magassa, Fernandes; Bowen, Soucek, Pablo; Castellanos
Unavailable: Fabianski (Injured), Summerville (Injured)
Questionable:
Aston Villa vs West Ham prediction
That aforementioned struggling in the league for Villa continued with a 3-1 defeat to fellow top four or five contenders Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend. That loss means that the hosts have now managed just one two wins in their last ten league games. Those two defeats for the Hammers since a loss to Forest have come when 2-0 up away at Chelsea and then in a 5-2 loss away at Liverpool when they were extremely hard done by in terms of the result. Siding with the visitors against out of form and now potentially fatigued opposition would seem the way to go on Sunday afternoon.
Aston Villa vs West Ham tip: Double chance – West Ham to win or draw
