Aston Villa host West Ham in the midweek clash of the Premier League 2020-21. Villa would look for the fifth spot with three points, while West Ham would get back to winning track after a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool.
Match Timings: Feb 04, 1:45 AM IST
Match Preview
West Ham will make travel to Villa Park to eye three points after a disappointing performance against reigning winners at home. West Ham side have picked up four wins from six games on their travels and they are firm favourites against Villa. David Moyes’s side was defeated last weekend and they conceded three goals in the second half. West Ham would move on from the last defeat to boost its place in the top four. They occupy the fifth spot in the table with 35 points and four points behind Leicester City. Jesse Lingard will be in action after his loan move from Man United.
Michail Antonio’s fitness is in doubt and Hammers might lineup with the same starting eleven which played against Liverpool. The Hammers had the last laugh when both sides met previously in Premier League. Angelo Ogbonna and Jarrod Bowen scored for West Ham in reply to Grealish’s 25th-minute strike. West Ham are unbeaten in his last nine top-flight matches against Villa and they have a chance to make a league double after achieving this in 2013-14 against United.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa will be back at home after a 1-0 victory against Southampton. Ross Barkley’s 41st-minute strike assured three points for the Villa. The defeat to Burnley last week hurt them more and they are currently standing at ninth spot, with three defeats from the last five matches. The West Midlands outfit are seven points behind the top four with two matches in hand. Dean Smith is looking optimistic to recover these points in upcoming matches. Smith is looking to go with the winning XI in the home-clash. It means Morgan Sanson will take the seat on the bench. Aston Villa have won just one game of their last nine top-flight matches and on the other side, they kept a clean sheet in each of their last three at Villa Park.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Aston Villa
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, McGinn; Traore, Barkley, Grealish; Watkins
Current Form: W L W L L
Previous Match: 1-0 victory against Southampton
West Ham
Fabianski; Coufal, Dawson, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Benrahma, Fornals; Antonio
Current Form: L W W W W
Previous Match: 3-1 defeat to Liverpool
Key Players
Aston Villa
Ollie Watkins
8 goals in Premier League 2020-21
Jack Grealish
6 goals in Premier League 2020-21
West Ham
Thomas Soucek
7 goals in Premier League 2020-21
Michail Antonio
7 goals in Premier League 2020-21
