West Ham v Aston Villa: predicted line-up, team news and match preview
Aston Villa travel to east London on Sunday to take on West Ham United in their 16th Premier League game of the season.
Villa won 2-1 away at Basel in the Europa League on Thursday to extend their winning run in all competitions to eight matches, a result that leaves them in third place in both the league phase table and in the Premier League as this weekend of fixtures begins.
Unai Emery is staying calm. Villa have been in great form but the manager is always sure to make clear that every new match is a fresh challenge and that the targets, however near or far at any given time, haven’t changed since the start of the season.
Steps forward for West Ham?
There’s been no such steady hand at the London Stadium, where Nuno Espírito Santo was brought in to replace Graham Potter as West Ham’s manager at the end of September.
They were in the relegation zone then and they’re in the relegation zone now, but Nuno is no mug and the Hammers are, I think, sprouting a few positive developments.
Their loss against Liverpool dropped them back below the dotted line but it was their only loss in six Premier League fixtures. They beat Newcastle United and Burnley before that – both at home – and have drawn with AFC Bournemouth, Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion in the last three weeks.
Potter wasn’t getting results like that. They need to win more and draw fewer but progress is being made and West Ham will be planning to get out of the relegation battle entirely sooner rather than later.
Villa are unbeaten in six matches against West Ham in all competitions. Before that, the Hammers beat Villa five times in a row and were unbeaten in ten.
Villa team news
Emiliano Martínez and Pau Torres both missed the win against Basel on Thursday. Emery confirmed that they were absent through injury and said on Friday that they would be assessed before a decision is made about their availability against the Hammers.
With Villa due to train again on Saturday morning, their status remains unknown.
Tyrone Mings is still sidelined and will be unavailable into the new year, while Ross Barkley is also out and will return to action several weeks after Mings is back.
Villa predicted line-up v West Ham
That would mean big changes from the team that beat Basel on Thursday including the restoration of the Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana partnership in midfield and Youri Tielemans playing off Ollie Watkins.
John McGinn and Morgan Rogers getting about the park like a pair of bats in a bin bag? Yes please.
Where to watch West Ham v Villa
Villa’s away game against West Ham United will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Tennis in the UK.
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➡️ How to watch West Ham v Aston Villa: kick-off time, TV channels and streams
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