David Moyes will be hoping his West Ham team can show a more ruthless edge when they host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Wastefulness in front of goal has cost the Hammers against Liverpool and Sevilla in the last, with their hopes of European qualification taking a hit in recent weeks. Still, there’s a real chance of a second consecutive top six finish.
There is the second-leg against Sevilla to look forward to on Thursday, but before then the full focus most be on domestic action.
Villa arrive at the London Stadium in high spirits, after winning their last three matches. Steven Gerrard’s side have scored nine goals and conceded none in that run with the Villa boss admitting he is looking to replicate some of Moyes’ recent success.
Here’s all you need to know about Saturday’s Premier League clash...
Date, kick-off time and venue
West Ham vs Aston Villa is scheduled for a 2pm GMT kick-off on Sunday, March 13, 2022.
The London Stadium will host the match.
Where to watch West Ham vs Aston Villa
TV channel: The match will be not be televised live in the UK.
Live blog: You can keep up to date with all the action via Standard Sport’s live blog, with Jack Rosser at the ground to provide expert analysis.
West Ham vs Aston Villa team news
Jarrod Bowen is expected to miss out again for West Ham, after he picked up an injury at Anfield last week that saw him ruled out of Europa League action in midweek. Moyes is unsure when the winger will return.
“I have no idea at the moment,” Moyes said.
“We are still trying to clear up exactly the injury, in all the scans and information we have it does not look too bad but his action coming off the pitch at Anfield made it look more serious than we thought. And that has not added up.”
Said Benrahma will be pushing for a start, after his impressive cameo against Sevilla, and is likely to battle Nikola Vlasic for a place in the team.
Andiry Yarmolenko could also come back into the squad after his return from compassionate leave.
Gerrard has a largely fit squad to choose from, with only Marvelous Nakamba on the injury list.
Calum Chambers has started Villa’s last two matches, scoring against Leeds last time out, and is expected to keep his place, while Philippe Coutinho continues to shine for Villa since his January arrival.
West Ham vs Aston Villa prediction
Villa arrive at the London Stadium full of confidence, and may well face a West Ham side that subconsciously has an eye on the Europa League second-leg against Sevilla on Thursday night.
The Hammers have been inconsistent in recent weeks, with poor finishing proving costly, and they may well drop more points as their top-four hopes fall away.
Draw, 1-1.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
The Hammers have not lost to Aston Villa since 2015.
West Ham wins: 43
Draws: 34
Aston Villa wins: 38
