Aston Villa will host West Ham United in the Premier League with both teams in good form. Both teams earned a point from their pre-international break matches. David Moyes’s team shared the win in a thrilling four-goal thriller against Newcastle United. Unai Emery’s side drew 1-1 with their neighbors Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Preview (Aston Villa vs. West Ham United)
Ollie Watkins, who was so brilliant in a 6-1 thumping of Brighton & Hove Albion last month. However, he laced up his playmaking boots to save Villa from an unexpected loss at Molineux. In the first forty-five minutes of that West Midlands derby, neither team could find a way through. However, Wolves took a slim lead thanks to Hwang Hee-chan’s fifth goal of the year. It was quickly erased two minutes later when Watkins set up center-back Au Torres.
Emery’s team was clearly suffering from a hangover from the Europa Conference League. They had to wait until the very end to defeat Zrinsjki Mostar 1-0 between their crushing of Brighton and their tie with Wolves. Nevertheless, the Lions’ first-ever draw of the season kept them in fifth place going into the break. With just four points separating Villa from leaders Tottenham Hotspur—who don’t play until Monday evening—and a rare goal from Torres two weeks ago, the Lions will be looking to extend their scoring run to eight games in all competitions when they take on Villa on Sunday.
Villa Park hasn’t exactly been a happy hunting ground for visiting teams. The hosts are riding a stellar 10-game Premier League winning streak in familiar territory. It has been a full year since Villa last failed to make the net bulge in Trinity Road. Speaking of creating a net bulge, West Ham and Newcastle resumed their fighting on October 8 after two inspiring European victories. However, the Magpies’ 4-1 demolition of Paris Saint-Germain garnered more media attention.
Team News
Nicolo Zaniolo left the Azzurri squad due to allegations of illegal gambling. It made Aston Villa one of three clubs involved in the worrying Italian football betting scandal. Nevertheless, the playmaker will be available for Sunday’s match. The club has not yet addressed the situation in public. Throughout the two-week vacation, not much has happened in the Aston Villa medical center. Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings, who have suffered knee injuries for a long time, are still recovering. Jacob Ramsey’s ankle problem has no set timetable for recovery.
After experiencing a setback in his recuperation, left-back Alex Moreno (thigh) was getting close to returning to action. Emery stated on Friday that the former Real Betis player would not be joining the fight anytime soon. During the international period, Leon Bailey, Jonathan Duran, and Emiliano Martinez all represented their nations across the Atlantic, but there is no indication that they won’t be involved in this one. Similar to Edson Alvarez of Mexico and Michael Antonio of Jamaica, West Ham manager Moyes must evaluate their respective players’ health after their exhausting travels, but unless they experience any unanticipated fitness setbacks, both players should play on Sunday.
The Hammers don’t currently have any serious injury concerns, although Lukasz Fabianski missed the game against Newcastle because of a knock, while full-backs Aaron Cresswell (hamstring) and Ben Johnson (groin) are also questionable. Given that Lucas Paqueta is just one booking away from a suspension and that Kudus made a vital contribution against Newcastle, Moyes may want to consider this option from the outset. However, Paqueta did not play for Brazil this month, so Kudus might be chosen from the start.
Aston Villa 3 – 2 West Ham United
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