Premier League: Claret Goes Down Well in the Midlands!

Aston Villa vs West Ham United

Birmingham will be painted a deep shade a claret on Sunday when West Ham United come to town to face Aston Villa in a fifth versus seventh bout.

Villa come into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw away to Wolverhampton Wanderers while West Ham impressed in a 2-2 draw at home to Newcastle United, and with both teams in Europa League action this season it’s a good time to be a fan of the Villains or the Hammers. A couple of seasons ago Premier League: Aston Villa vs West Ham United had the look of a lower mid table clash but now it’s most certainly a meeting of two upwardly mobile clubs.

Unai Emery’s Villa and David Moyes’ West Ham both have a vibrant brand of football but Emery’s team plays a purist game while Moyes can be pragmatic when needed.

This SBOTOP football writer loves a bit of Claret, as a passionate Burnley fan but with a quiet admiration for both Aston Villa and West Ham… and I think we’ll see a Sunday Scorcher at Villa Park.

Talking Points

Villa’s multiple threats

In Ollie Watkins Aston Villa have one of the most exciting young strikers in English football and the England man has already scored four goals this season. He has pace to burn and is a cool finisher and Watkins has every chance of nailing down a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024. But the Hammers can’t afford to spend too much time tracking Watkins as Douglas Luiz, with three goals, will take advantage of any space he finds.

Summer signing Moussa Diaby is quickly finding his feet and wide man John McGinn has been a consistently high performer at the top level. Add to that the attacking intent of wingbacks Lucas Digne and Matty Cash and this is a team with constant menace. With world cup winner Emiliano Martinez in goal and Pau Torres at the heart of defence this club belongs in European football and one which has become much better balanced since the transfer of club legend Jack Grealish to Manchester City.

The Aston Villa vs West Ham United betting odds are pointing to a home win and Emery’s side are a daunting proposition on home soil. But they have also shown they can pick up results away from home too, winning at Burnley and Chelsea and a trip to Wolves, after Gary O’Neill’s side had just beaten Manchester City, was a real test, but Torres showed he too can do the business up front when he scored Villa’s goal.

Ward-Prowse is already a West Ham hero

They love a hero at the London Stadium and, following the retirement of Mark Noble they have been looking for a new talisman. Attacking midfielder Jarrod Bowen is on fire with five goals; but with two goals and three assists James Ward-Prowse has fit into the East End club as if he’d been there for years. His delivery from corners and world class free kicks are second to none and it’s a mystery why Southgate, who insists he picks players on form, left him out of his latest squad.

With Saudi pioneer Jordan Henderson and Manchester City’s forgotten man Kalvin Phillips in England’s midfield group, not to mention Manchester United misfit Harry Maguire in defence, maybe Southgate should re-appraise.

The Hammers won a tough game away to SC Freiburg in the Europa Cup recently where Ward-Prowse made a crucial assist and he was influential as ever when the Hammers drew 2-2 with Champions League club Newcastle, another new man Mohammed Kudus scoring a late leveller.

History

The head to head Aston Villa vs West Ham United results have been really well contested over the years with the Hammers edging it by 15 wins to 13 and there have been 21 draws. West Ham have had much more success in recent seasons though, with five wins and a draw from the last six meetings with Villa, scoring 13 goals and conceding five.

David Moyes’ side has the edge in recent form too, with four wins, one defeat and one draw over the past six games while Emery’s men have win three, lost two and drawn one.

Betting Tip

This 50^th meeting between these two famous sides, in the Premier League era, could go either way, with the Hammers priced at odds of 3.35 and the draw is at 3.25.

But, with a 100 percent home record in the league, I think Villa will have the edge and, for a correct score line a 2-1 win to the hosts is priced at 6.95.

 

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