West Ham United will close out the 2019-2020 season at the London Stadium against relegation-threatened Aston Villa.
The season has been full of ups and down for West Ham. Overall it will be remembered for the highs against Chelsea and Manchester United, rather than the defeat to Oxford United. The Hammers have ended the season brilliantly, losing only one of their last six matches.
Most recently West Ham earned a good point against Champions League-chasing Manchester United. Michail Antonio grabbed his tenth goal of the season and his eighth since the restart from the penalty spot. The converted forward could very well be the frontrunner for the player of the month after his recent form.
Aston Villa beat an out of sorts Arsenal side 1-0 at Villa Park on Tuesday night. The win was enough to drag the West Midlands side out of the bottom three and give them a glimmer of Premier League survival.
Villa will need to match or better the results of Bournemouth and Watford in order to stay in the league. The Villians do have an advantage over their rivals due to their narrowly better goal difference.
Team News
David Moyes will be sweating on the fitness of Jarrod Bowen and Aaron Cresswell. Both the Englishmen took heavy blows against United which lead to their substitutions. It would seem reckless to risk players fitness in the match against Villa considering West Ham have little to play for.
This could prompt chances for Arthur Masuaku and Felipe Anderson. Masuaku has not started a game for the Hammers since before lockdown. Whereas, Anderson has been missing from action since his injury before the Chelsea match.
The match will also be Tomas Soucek’s first as a full West Ham United player. The club confirmed his permanent signing after the club secured their Premier League status. David Moyes had this to say about Soucek.
"“When I came in, we talked about needing another midfield player, to help Declan Rice and Mark Noble, and I think he’s been a really good fit for us. “He’s a terrific lad with very good physical capabilities. He has scored some really important goals for us, against Chelsea, Newcastle and Watford. “We’re glad he’s going to be a West Ham player for a good period to come.”"
He's here to stay! ✊ #Soucek2024 pic.twitter.com/tUxAtRRoDT
— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 24, 2020
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has very few new injury concerns going into Villa’s biggest game of the season. Smith will continue to be without Neil Taylor, Tom Heaton and Wesley who are all injured with long-term issues. Bjorn Engels will also miss out for the Villians with an Achilles problem.
It is more than likely Smith will keep the same line-up that has dragged Villa from the edge of relegation to almost surviving. Villa has been on good form recently, winning seven points from their last three games.
Predicted Starting XI
West Ham United: Formation 4-3-3
Fabianski, Johnson, Diop, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Soucek, Rice, Noble, Fornals, Anderson, Antonio.
Aston Villa: Formation 4-3-3
Reina, Elmohamady, Konsa, Mings, Targett, McGinn, Luiz, Hourihane, Trezeguet, Grealish, Samatta.
GSH Staff Predictions
Jeremiah, West Ham United 3-1 Aston Villa
The Hammers are safe, and Villa needs to win to stay safe. I think we see West Ham play some youth but still play strong to keep the momentum going. Aston Villa, however, cannot afford to play it close to the chest.
They neither no if a draw or a loss will be ok, so they must win. With that in mind, they will be pressing and left vulnerable in the back. The Hammers will take this match easily and could possibly be a ‘relegator’ to another team.
Louis, West Ham United 3-1 Aston Villa
If you’d have offered me a final day showdown against Aston Villa to survive relegation after our defeats to Wolves and Tottenham, I’d have bitten your handoff.
As it goes, Moyes and the team have brilliantly turned our fortunes around, and we can go into this match completely worry-free with an opportunity to fully enjoy the occasion. The team have been magnificent, and they fully deserve all the praise that they are getting.
Villa’s fortunes hang in the balance, however, and while they currently find themselves outside of the bottom three, Watford and Bournemouth are still fighting for their lives.
It’s difficult to predict what approach Dean Smith will take. With Watford away to Arsenal, a draw may be enough, but would it be worth the risk of playing over-cautiously? If they go all-out-attack, West Ham has got the ability to destroy them on the break, which is what I think may happen.I hope Antonio can finish his fabulous post-lockdown season in style, and I predict him to get another goal or two to add to his impressive tally.
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Jeff, West Ham United 2-2 Aston Villa
This match-week 38 prediction has virtually nothing to do with West Ham and more about what Aston Villa and Watford have to play for. The Hammers place in the EPL is secure for the upcoming season. Villa needs a win to guarantee theirs. So do the Hornets, the team Villa is fighting with for that $120 million 17th place.
Watford takes on Arsenal and appears to be a club in shambles, having fired their manager last week. If Villa can manage a win vs the red-hot Hammers they are all but assured of staying up. Moyes approach here will be interesting as his usual pattern is to not change a winning side.
Even though one point was earned vs Man U, by all accounts it was one of the clubs best performances under the Manager. Will he keep the same players in the XI or give chances to those that haven’t played much since the restart? I am looking at you Haller, Masuaku, Balbuena, Yarmalenko and Lanzini.
Plus current reports say Jarrod Bowen is 50/50 to make the squad Sunday after limping off the pitch with a knock at the end of the game expect West Ham’s confident play to continue, but Villa obviously will be very very desperate. Because of the factors mostly outside of WHU’s control, call it another draw 2-2.
Adam, West Ham United 3-2 Aston Villa
A nervy goal-fest is what I think maybe on the menu for these two teams as the Hammers want to finish their season strong and Villa have their Premier League lives on the line.
I don’t see West Ham slowing down but I do see a feisty Villa team not going quietly. Pablo Fornals and Bowen are overdue for goals so I see them popping up on the scoresheet!
Henry, West Ham United 1-2 Aston Villa
I will very much enjoy if I am proved wrong on at 6 pm on Sunday afternoon after West Ham storm to another three points. But, Aston Villa is fighting for their lives and they will not be rolled over that easily.
A team fighting relegation can cause many upsets, as we’ve seen in recent weeks with West Ham beating Chelsea. The Hammers are likely to be thinking about the offseason while Villa will be buoyed after their Arsenal win and might edge West Ham out after ninety minutes.
Despite the clubs playing out a dire 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture, the GSH staff have predicted A mixed bag of results to finish off the season. Hopefully, West Ham performs how Louis and Jeremiah believe they will. It will be the perfect way to end a season that has had more downs than ups.