Aston Villa lock horns with West Ham at Villa Park on Sunday having both endured disappointing starts to the 2022/23 Premier League season.
The Villans sit 15th in the table after amassing three points from as many games. They head into the weekend league fixture off the back of a 4-1 success over Bolton Wanderers in the EFL Cup.
West Ham, meanwhile, are bottom of the table with no points gained from their first three games. David Moyes is under a bit of pressure after witnessing his team suffer three defeats in succession, although he will take some heart from the midweek Europa Conference League play-off win over Danish side Viborg.
Aston Villa vs West Ham—Team News
Aston Villa
Ludwig Augustinsson missed the EFL Cup win at Bolton with a minor knee problem but trained on Friday and is expected to be available to face West Ham. Diego Carlos is sidelined in the long term with an Achilles injury.
Emi Martinez will as usual start in the Aston Villa goal, with the back four consisting of Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Lucas Digne. Digne keeps the fit-again Ludwig Augustinsson out of the side, but the Swedish international could be a smart defensive option off the bench.
Boubacar Kamara has settled in quite well at Villa and should sit just in front of the back four, acting as a shield and gives John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey the license to go forward and create opportunities.
Philippe Coutinho will be hoping for a recall after being dropped out of the starting XI against Crystal Palace last week. Leon Bailey will keep his place on the right flank, with Ollie Watkins tasked to lead the attack once again.
West Ham
New signing Emerson Palmieri might be with the travelling squad on Sunday, but Craig Dawson is still out. Vladimir Coufal may come back into contention after missing Thursday’s win against Viborg in Denmark due to concussion protocol.
Lukasz Fabianski is a certainty in goal. With Craig Dawson still injured, Thilo Kehrer picks himself as Kurt Zouma’s partner at the heart of the Hammers’ defence. Vladimir Coufal and Aaron Cresswell will take up the final two spots in the team, with the former starting as the right-back and the latter taking his place at left-back against Aston Villa.
Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek have no reason to worry about their midfield positions, with Manuel Lanzini and Flynn Downes providing cover from the bench. Pablo Fornals will take up the advanced role, hoping to add creativity and link up with wide attackers Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma to open up the opposition backline.
Michail Antonio is likely to get the chop from the first XI, with Gianluca Scamacca primed for his first Premier League start after scoring in successive European appearances.
Aston Villa vs West Ham—Predicted Lineups
Aston Villa Predicted Lineup (4-3-3): Emi Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne; John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Jacob Ramsey; Philippe Coutinho, Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey
West Ham Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lukasz Fabianski; Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Thilo Kehrer, Aaron Cresswell; Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek; Jarrod Bowen, Pablo Fornals, Said Benrahma; Gianluca Scamacca
Aston Villa vs West Ham—Key Players
Aston Villa—Leon Bailey
Leon Bailey was one of the rare bright sparks for Aston Villa in an otherwise limp 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace. The Jamaican provided the assist to Watkins’ goal and made some impressive runs behind the Palace backline. His speed, dribbling and movement will be key in unlocking the West Ham rearguard on Sunday.
West Ham—Gianluca Scamacca
Fresh from scoring in West Ham’s 3-0 win over Viborg, Gianluca Scamacca will be hoping to make a mark in his potential full Premier League debut. Due to his aerial ability and smart link-up play, the Italian could be a real handful for the Villa defenders.
Prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 West Ham