Aston Villa vs. West Ham Preview and Free Picks

Premier League weekend action sees two teams looking to exceed expectations facing off to climb the table: Aston Villa and West Ham.

Aston Villa has improved their form and managed to secure a 2-2 away draw against Arsenal in their last match.

The opposite is true for West Ham, whose form has declined, suffering a 0-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace.

Aston Villa changed the chip and now thinks about the Premier League and will try to keep climbing, while West Ham wants to get out of the rut.

Aston Villa vs. West Ham Betting Odds and Info

Why Bet on Aston Villa?

After a strong year, Aston Villa was expected to continue improving and compete higher up the table, even as a potential title contenders. However, with 10 wins, six draws, and six losses, they sit in eighth place with 36 points, 14 behind leaders Liverpool.

The main issue has been their inconsistency in both attack and defense. They’ve conceded more goals (34) than they’ve scored (33), which is concerning for a team not built for such struggles. Donyell Malen recently arrived from Borussia Dortmund to address this, but he has yet to make his debut.

Things have been looking up recently, though. Villa is unbeaten in four matches, securing narrow victories over Leicester (2-1) and Everton (0-1) and drawing with Brighton and Arsenal, both 2-2. Their most recent Premier League game was against the ‘Gunners’, where they came back from a 2-0 deficit, while this week, they lost to Monaco (1-0) in the Champions League.

Unai Emery’s squad faces some injury challenges, with Ross Barkley, John McGinn, and Pau Torres sidelined. Diego Carlos, who was also injured, has been sold to Fenerbahce.

Why Bet on West Ham?

West Ham is another team falling short of expectations. With 26 points, they are closer to the relegation zone (16 points) than to European competition spots (38 points). Their record of seven wins, five draws, and 10 losses places them in 14th position in The Premier League.

Defensively, they’ve been struggling, conceding 43 goals, the fourth-worst in the league. Offensively, their 27 goals make them the sixth-worst attack. They’ve lost three of their last four matches, dropping significantly in the standings. During this period, they conceded 13 goals, including five against Liverpool and four versus Manchester City.

At the start of the year, Graham Potter took over as manager to stabilize the team, but he has two losses and one win so far. Most recently, they suffered a 0-2 home defeat against Crystal Palace in a match where Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos was sent off with a red card.

Away from home, they’ve managed seven points from their last 15 but have only collected 12 out of a possible 30 points throughout the season.

In addition to Mavropanos, Potter will be without three key players due to injuries: Michail Antonio, Niclas Füllkrug, and Jared Bowen, the team’s top scorer with five goals. Jean-Clair Todibo is also unavailable, though there is hope that Crysencio Summerville could return for the weekend.

Final Betting Analysis: Aston Villa vs. West Ham

They are in contrasting forms: while Aston Villa is on an upward trajectory, West Ham is on a downward slope. The ‘Villains’ are very strong at Villa Park, whereas the ‘Hammers’ have struggled away from home. For this reason, we believe Unai Emery’s side will secure the victory.

The odds at Gambyl Exchange favor Aston Villa, with their Moneyline set at 1.59, West Ham at 5.85, and a draw at 4.43.

The last time they faced each other was recently, on January 10 this year in the FA Cup, where Aston Villa won 2-1. The ‘Villains’ are unbeaten in five matches against West Ham, winning three. The last time the ‘Hammers’ beat Villa was August 28, 2022 (0-1).

Go for a straight victory for Aston Villa in the Moneyline. If you bet $100 at 1.59, you will gain $59 for a total payout of $159.

Aston Villa vs. West Ham Betting Pick: Aston Villa