Monday’s claret-and-blue clash will be a test of mettle for both sides, as this is the sort of game both should be winning in order to meet their respective season expectations. Aston Villa will want to dispel early worries of the drop with a home win against formidable top-half opposition, whilst West Ham looks to continue their unbeaten away record as they take aim at a top-seven finish.
Villa have lost three of their four opening games since returning to the Premier League and sit 18th in the table. Despite a poor run of results at face value, manager Dean Smith will be encouraged by two valiant home performances, in particular, their 2-0 triumph over top-flight stalwarts Everton.
Their last game, a 1-0 away defeat to Crystal Palace, was marred by controversy as a last-gasp equaliser was ruled out by referee Kevin Friend. Skipper Jack Grealish was pulled up for diving in the penalty area during the build-up, which sparked outrage from many of the Villa faithful. The correct decision or not, the Villains will feel they deserved at least a point at Palace, and will no doubt look to make a statement on Monday evening.
Meanwhile, West Ham comes into this game unbeaten in three, having won their two most recent ties against Watford and Norwich City. A 5-0 opening day massacre at the hands of Manchester City has been answered with a trio of vibrant attacking performances, though there remain defensive issues that Manuel Pellegrini will have to address if he wishes to sustain the Hammers’ good form.
“The West Ham Way” is a concept that has become increasingly alien to Irons fans as of late, but their recent 2-0 victory over Norwich stood as a perfect example of it. The Hammers dismantled their opponents in style, with the silky dribbles of Felipe Anderson and Arthur Masuaku frequently exploiting holes in the Canaries defence. Pellegrini was pleased to pick up a first clean sheet of the season, telling West Ham's official website, “We defended well because Norwich are an attacking team and I can’t remember clear chances to score.”
The pair have met 110 times throughout history, with West Ham winning 40 and Villa winning 38. This match marks the first contest between the two since February 2016, in a game where West Ham ran out comfortable 2-0 winners. Villa finished that campaign at rock bottom, whereas the Hammers were able to clinch Europa League qualification in what proved to be a magical final season at the Boleyn Ground.
Team News
Aston Villa are confirmed to be without Jonathan Kodjia (head injury) and winger Trezeguet, who misses out through suspension after a red card at Crystal Palace. James Chester and Matt Targett (both thigh) are also likely to miss out.
West Ham are without Winston Reid (knee) and Michail Antonio, who is without a return date after suffering a hamstring injury in their Carabao Cup tie against Newport County.
Predicted XIs
Aston Villa: Heaton, Guilbert, Engels, Mings, Taylor; McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Grealish; Jota, Wesley, El Ghazi.
West Ham: Fabianski, Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Masuaku; Noble, Rice, Lanzini; Yarmolenko, Haller, Anderson.
Key Clash
West Ham and Villa are expected to line up in similar shape, with each fielding a lone striker up top. West Ham's record summer signing Sebastien Haller has scored three in his last two outings and will be looking to put yet another team to the sword. Meanwhile, Tyrone Mings has been a colossal presence in Villa’s backline this season, with a string of stellar performances earning him his first England call-up last week.
The stage is set for a clash of the titans at Villa Park. Haller has yet to come up against a centre-back matching his physical prowess, whereas Mings faces a tough test of the mind, marking the powerful Frenchman and tracking his tricky off-the-ball movement.
Manager Talk
After a frustrating start to his first-ever season as a Premier League boss, Dean Smith remains confident in his players' performances so far. Smith lead Villa to 10 consecutive wins at the end of last season to secure a playoff spot and will be looking to kick off another run of rampant form with a big win at home.
“I feel we can improve, you can look back and say two individual errors have cost us against Bournemouth, we held Tottenham until the 86th minute, beat Everton and gone away to Palace. If [Trezeguet] hadn't have got sent off, there's not a chance we would have lost that game and, with what happened in the last minute, we shouldn't have lost it anyway.
"We're tough to beat. We've shown glimpses of what we can do but we need to be more consistent in our domination part of the games."
Manuel Pellegrini refuses to look beyond Monday’s game and recognises that the Hammers were often bested in away ties like this last campaign. He acknowledges the Villa Park’s atmosphere will spur the home side on to attack, but they should be careful not to over-commit.
"Last season we played a lot of games and lost against the teams around us. Now we will see as Aston Villa has a good team and a difficult stadium but we will go there and try to win. That is our only target now.
"Aston Villa is a team which has had different results and has bought a lot of good players after returning to the Premier League. They have a lot of attacking players and a manager who wants to play in an attacking style but they must adapt."
