| Odds via 22bet | |
| West Ham vs Aston Villa | August 17, 17:30 GMT+1 |
| West Ham odds | 2.44 |
| Aston Villa odds | 2.62 |
| Draw | 3.8 |
| Over\Under | Total 2,5: 1.52/2.37 |
During the summer off-season, West Ham made some significant signings, acquiring Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Füllkrug for a combined total of €56 million. These new additions are expected to bolster West Ham’s attacking prowess at a relatively modest cost.
Füllkrug, who scored two important goals for Germany at Euro 2024 and also made crucial contributions against PSG and Atletico in the 2023-24 Champions League play-offs, is a high-calibre striker who could easily play for a top European club.
Despite finishing in ninth place in the EPL last season with a goal difference of -14 goals, West Ham managed to attract Füllkrug to the team. In addition to Füllkrug, West Ham has also brought in top-class players such as James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus, and Lucas Paquetá over the past couple of years, along with solid defensive reinforcements like Edson Álvarez, Nayef Aguerd and newcomer Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Given the quality and the depth of their squad, West Ham should be considered favorites to win their first home game of the new EPL season against Aston Villa, and they might even secure a place in the Champions League zone by the end of the season.
However, there are concerns surrounding Julen Lopetegui’s coaching approach as West Ham only managed to secure one win in five friendly matches against relatively weak opponents. This raises questions about whether Lopetegui is capable of strengthening the team’s defense and establishing a clearer attacking structure.
As a result, despite the team’s significant potential, it is uncertain what to expect from West Ham in the early stages of the EPL.
| Recent Form | WLLWD |
| Key Players to Watch | James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Paquetá, Jarrod Bowen. |
| Team Strengths | A very strong attacking line. |
| Team Weaknesses | Poor quality of the coach’s work. |
Last season, Aston Villa performed well in the first half of the season, even reaching second place in the standings by the end of December 2023.
However, visual analysis and expected points figures indicated that Unai Emery’s team’s quality of play was not high enough to rank in the top four of the EPL. In the second half of the season, Aston Villa began to concede more goals and suffered more defeats, putting them at risk of dropping to 5th-7th place, though their rivals were never able to catch up.
In the new season, Villa will be without Moussa Diaby and Douglas Luiz, who left the club. It is difficult to predict how these departures will affect the level of play and the results of the team.
Before the start of the season, Emery’s side lost four of their five friendlies, conceding eleven goals. Although these are just pre-season matches, the systematic problems in the defensive phase were evident, much like they were in the second half of last season.
Villa has scored just four goals in five matches, three of which were against Athletic Bilbao. This lack of firepower can be attributed to the absence of Ollie Watkins, who missed pre-season training entirely.
Last season, Aston Villa started with a 1-5 defeat to Newcastle, but that didn’t stop them from finishing in the top four. Therefore, if Watkins reaches his optimal condition, there’s a good chance that Villa could once again compete for a top-four finish in the upcoming season.
| Recent Form | LWLLL |
| Key Players to Watch | Ollie Watkins, John McGinn. |
| Team Strengths | Strong counterattacking play. |
| Team Weaknesses | Lack of good form from Ollie Watkins. |
Since 2016, West Ham has been dominant in their matchups against Aston Villa, winning six matches, drawing four times, and only allowing one victory for the team from Birmingham.
In the first half of last season, Unai Emery’s team defeated their rival with a score of 4-1, securing their first win against them in 11 matches.
At the London Stadium, West Ham’s dominance is even more pronounced, with four wins and five draws against Aston Villa, with their last loss dating back to 2011.
Lucas Paquetá was one of West Ham’s standout players last season and continued to impress in the last preseason match against Celta. The Brazilian could very well provide an assist in the match against Aston Villa, which plays with a high defensive line and easily allows for penetrating passes into their penalty area.
While Ollie Watkins is not in optimal condition, Leon Bailey could be Aston Villa’s most dangerous attacker and create big problems for their opponents.
Aston Villa played in their regular 4-2-2-2 (4-4-2) formation in pre-season matches, while West Ham used different formations in each of their last three friendly matches: 5-4-1, 4-3-3, 3-4-3.
It seems that Julen Lopetegui is searching for the optimal formation for West Ham that will improve their defense while maintaining the best conditions for the team’s top attacking players.
It’s hard to predict which formation the West Ham coach will prefer and in which areas the key tactical battles will take place in this match.
The friendly matches have shown that many of the Aston Villa players are still working their way back to peak form, while Ollie Watkins is still getting back into the groove after his vacation. Therefore, it’s quite difficult to imagine a victory for Aston Villa in this match.
West Ham, on the other hand, has not lost to Aston Villa on their home turf since 2011. The new coach of the London club, Julen Lopetegui, has a strong and well-rounded squad, which should give them the upper hand in this fixture.
It’s still unclear how the hosts will play, but it’s reasonable that they will avoid defeat in this match.
West Ham has maintained an unbeaten record in the first halves of their last four preseason matches. Additionally, the London club has never lost to Aston Villa at home after the first half in the last 13 years.
Therefore, there are strong reasons to choose the option “First half, 1X,” which seems the most attractive.
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