West Ham travel to Villa Park in an unexpected battle for a place in Europe

Not so long ago, West Ham United were playing Europa League qualifiers in a bid to play in a prestigious competition. The Irons now find themselves fifth in the top-flight and had played six league games unbeaten until Liverpool came to the London Stadium.

Following the addition of the out of favour Manchester United midfielder, Jesse Lingard could start for David Moyes’ side for the first time in their shot for the European jackpot.

An impressive Liverpool made no mistake of underestimating their inform hosts, a dominant performance from Liverpool saw the Reds have 68% possession. But can Aston Villa do the same and punish their visitors by controlling the ball for such long periods of time and tire out the Hammers?

The Villan’s return to B6 after a vital win on the road at Southampton, in a game which the Saints controlled with a hint of controversy after penalty claims were overruled as well as a 93^rd minute equaliser sunk Ralph Hassenhuttl’s men. Ross Barkley’s 41^st minute header was enough for the Lions to come away with all three points.

However, last time both sides met ended in a 2-1 win for Moyes’ men as goals from Angelo Ogbonna and Jarrod Bowen sealed the deal for the Hammers. Despite a 91^st minute leveller from Ollie Watkins, VAR spoiled the party by the tightest of margins.

The affair saw the Villan’s control the match with 66% possession but simply lacked a decisive moment in the final third, Dean Smith’s side can right their wrongs in the return fixture at Villa Park. A win would see the Lions equal their point tally from last season, after only 20 matches played.

Some feat for a side that was so woeful the previous campaign but are now one of the most exciting sides to watch in the Premier League.

Morgan Sanson could potentially make his debut for Villa since his arrival from Marseille for £14 Million, a player that would add so much more to what is already one of the league’s underrated midfield trio’s.

Both Villa and West Ham were poised with relegation last season but now find themselves thriving and playing some entertaining football along the way too, lining up to what promises to be an entertaining affair for the neutral.

Aston Villa’s robust defence will pose problems for their visitors, amassing ten clean sheets in 19 league matches. As well as the safe pair of hands between the sticks in Emi Martinez, the home side will hope to shut out the visitors.

With Jack Grealish playing some of his best football on the left-wing, the Hammers face a tricky challenge of keeping the Villa skipper quiet or the England international will look to punish Moyes’ side. Grealish has scored in both of his last two games against West Ham and will look to continue his streak.

Meanwhile a win for West Ham on the road would see them remain in fifth place but a win for the Villan’s could see the home side move up to sixth, depending on results elsewhere.

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