Aston Villa V West Ham United

Sunday, 17^th January – 13:30 (Sky Sports 1)

Aston Villa

League Position: 6th

Recent Form: WWWLL

Martin O’Neill has some restoration work on his hands with this Villa side as, although they started the new year in style with a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup, they ended 2009 in drab fashion by losing back-to-back games with Arsenal & Liverpool, teams which should be Villa’s main rivals for a top four finish. However, a visit from West Ham should bring about a change in fortune as a victory looks likely and the three points would keep Villa at least in the hunt for that fourth spot.

It’s becoming a busy time of year for Martin O’Neill and Aston Villa what with FA Cup, their two-legged semi-final tie with Blackburn in the Carling Cup and their pursuit of Champions League football next year. The number of games are beginning to mount up and with the weather causing havoc with the fixtures, Villa’s fixture list is becoming more and more compact. If their tie with Blackburn does go ahead on Thursday, 14^th Jan, then Villa will be expected to play this game just three days later in what will probably be another gloomy day at Villa Park. That’s got to take it’s toll at some stage and Villa’s squad isn’t as big as you might think… in fact we think it’s quite brittle. 

Villa may well get away with it in this game as West Ham haven’t been excelling of late but sooner or later all these games will have a drastic effect on the fitness levels of the players. For now, though, the players should be fit and raring to go, although this isn’t taking into account their match on Thursday with Blackburn. A game which could be a lot tighter than the bookies expect. Still, if the players do manage to recover in time then they should be able to see off West Ham at Villa Park in a game they have to win in order to keep up with the pacesetters at the top.

Villa didn’t end the year on a high after two successive defeats but are capable of going on another positive streak. Villa Park should hopefully be the setting for another lengthy point-baring run as Villa Park has been a happy hunting ground for O’Neill’s men this season, 6-2-2. Only Liverpool & Wigan have beaten Villa at home this season, while they beat Chelsea back in October, which just goes to show what they can do at home. Villa are a much better outfit at home, perhaps not in an attacking sense but certainly all round. In ten home fixtures, Villa have conceded just seven goals whilst taking their own scoring tally to a respectable 17. This is solid form and Villa should will be too tough for West Ham to break down we feel.  

West Ham United

League Position: 17th

Recent Form: LLDWL

West Ham’s accumulation of four points around Christmas time may have helped them escape the bottom three but they are still a club in deep trouble in terms of their position and form. Wins have been at a premium, just four since the start of the campaign, while their defence is looking far too weak and lightweight for this league. It’s a scary time for all you West Ham fans but let’s hope a fruitful new year is in store for you all.

The year, though, didn’t get off to the best of starts as West Ham crashed out of the FA Cup at just the first hurdle. Gianfranco Zola’s side were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal at Upton Park in a game where The Hammers did hold their own for the best part of 80 minutes before crumbling near the very end, conceding two goals late in the match. Perhaps it was a lack of concentration or their adrenaline ran out but the players have had a good two weeks or so to digest their FA Cup demise and at least now they can focus their full attention on the biggest task at hand – fending off relegation.

West Ham are currently sat in a precarious position in the table of 17^th, and were they not to win at Villa Park then they could fall straight back into the bottom three. However, to avoid that they will need to do something they’ve only managed once this season and that’s win away from home. In ten away outings thus far, West Ham have just the one lonesome win to their credit but even that came on day 1 away at Wolves. They have since gone on a nine match away rut without a win, losing six and drawing three.

In such a daunting fixture such as this it’s always ideal if you have some solid form and some confident players to build around, or even a decent result, but West Ham don’t have that luxury after their last outing was a miserable one in the FA Cup. To dampen spirits even further, West Ham have lost their previous three away league games of which two seen West Ham fail to score. Their last appearance in the league came just before the new year when they lost 2-0 at White Hart Lane. A defeat which ended a two match unbeaten run for the Hammers.

In the most gruelling and physically demanding league in Europe, form and confidence is paramount and what you’re getting with this West Ham team at present is a distinct lack of either. Wins have been rare, just four in all, while those unbeaten runs which often turn a struggling sides fortunes right around have been non-existent at this London club. However, West Ham have some big games coming up in the forthcoming month and beyond, with their following four games after this trip to Villa Park all being very winnable outings.

Head-to-Head:

Aston Villa W: 3 West Ham United W: 3 Draws: 4

•  West Ham won the first meeting of the season, a 2-1 victory at Upton Park, and are now on the verge of completing their first league double over Aston Villa in four years.

   

•  West Ham did hold out for a 1-1 draw in last seasons contest at Villa Park, but the Hammers had previously failed to score in two visits to Aston Villa.

   

•  Villa have won two of the previous three matches between the two at Villa Park, both of which   were to NIL and 1-0.

• West Ham’s last victory at Villa Park came back in January, 2006, winning 2-1.

Match Verdict: Aston Villa to WIN – 1.57 SkyBet

West Ham have had all their confidence sapped from them this season, even more so after their exit from Europe’s most prestigious domestic cup competition. The Hammers have a terrible away record this season of 1-3-6 and haven’t won on their travels since the opening day. Their away fortunes won’t get any better with a trip to Villa Park at a venue where Aston Villa have been immensely strong this season despite losing there in their last league fixture of 2009. Villa’s squad packs so much more mature quality than that at West Ham and, although Villa have one of the youngest squads in the league, this match really could be men against boys. Aston Villa for us in a game they should enjoy themselves in.

Match Odds:

Aston Villa – 1.57 SkyBet

Draw – 3.80 Bet365

West Ham United – 7.50 BlueSquare

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.82 Expekt.com