West Ham will return to action when they welcome Dean Smith’s Aston Villa to the London Stadium on Monday evening.
David Moyes will be hoping to see his West Ham side make it three wins in a row in the Premier League. The Hammers drew both games against Aston Villa last campaign during the duos relegation-threatened seasons.
This season both teams have seen the fortunes turn around and are now sitting in the top half of the table. A win for either side would push them closer to the European spots, whereas a loss could drop the other team closer to the bottom half.
TEAM NEWS
Hammers manager has no new injury concerns to worry about and will be more focused on players coming back into the team. Michail Antonio could make his return to the matchday squad. The Englishman has been out of action since hurting his hamstring against Manchester City. Antonio is unlikely to start and might have to settle for a place on the bench.
Andriy Yarmolenko is the only doubt for the match. The Ukrainian tested positive for COVID-19 while away on international duty. The player has been self-isolating since the result from the test and is unlikely to make his return against Villa.
Dean Smith will, however, be without midfielder Ross Barkley after he injured his hamstring. The Chelsea loanee has impressed since joining the West Midlands and will be a big miss for the Villians.
PREDICTED XIs
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West Ham United: Formation | 5-3-2
L. Fabianski, V. Coufal, F. Balbuena, A. Ogbonna, A. Cresswell, A. Masuaku, D. Rice (C), T. Soucek, P. Fornals, J. Bowen & S. Haller.
Aston Villa: Formation | 4-2-3-1
E. Martinez, M. Cash, E. Konsa, T. Mings, M. Targett, D. Luiz, J. McGinn, Trézéguet, C. Hourihane, J. Grealish (C) & O. Watkins
MATCH PREDICTION
Both teams would have snapped your hands off for the starts to the season that they have enjoyed. The Hammers have however endured the harder set of fixtures. David Moyes’ side has also proven they can win against the ‘lesser’ teams in the League after their two recent victories.
Villa will want to bounce back after their defeat to Brighton and will put West Ham under a lot of pressure. If this is the case, it could be a perfect game for the Hammers who enjoy soaking up pressure and producing fast counter-attacks.
SCORE PREDICTION
2-1 to the Hammers. | Sebastien Haller and Tomas Soucek to score for West Ham. Jack Grealish will grab his customary goal for Villa.