West Ham has had what I can only describe as a terrible start to the season. The Hammers are rock bottom of the Premier League. They have lost their first three games, and are yet to score their first league goal, conceding five in the process.
They have the opportunity to snap that streak this weekend against an Aston Villa side that has mightily struggled as well. The Irons have won 11 of their last twelve league fixtures against The Villans. That stat should give them some much-needed confidence heading into this clash.
This fixture will be a milestone one for David Moyes’ men. It will be West Ham’s 1000 Premier League match. They become the ninth team to reach this milestone. After Newcastle, they are just the second team to reach this milestone who didn’t compete in the first EPL season.
Sadly, West Ham has lost more of their 1000 matches than any of the other eight sides.
West Ham at Aston Villa FYIs
Kick-off: Sunday, Aug 28, 5:30 pm local, Villa Park
West Ham Starting XI Preview Material: Go Here
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple
Google Result Probability: Aston Villa victory 42% Draw 28% West Ham victory 30%
Team News
The Hammers are missing new signing Nayef Aguerd. The defender suffered an ankle injury that required surgery. We do not expect him to be back until October, at the earliest. We consider fellow defender Craig Dawson a 50/50 chance to return from the thigh injury that has seen him miss the Hammers’ last couple of matches.
The latest addition to the treatment room is Czech right back in Vladimir Coufal. He suffered a concussion in the Hammers’ latest loss to Brighton and Hove Albion. As per David Moyes, he will not feature against Aston Villa.
Coufal was knocked out against Brighton. He’s fine, but the concussion protocols are he can’t play.’
Stuey’s Two Cents
West Ham must get a victory soon, or this season could get ugly for them. It would be a real shame, particularly with how competitive they have been in the past couple of weekends. They might not get a better chance against Steven Gerrard’s struggling Aston Villa side.
If there are not panic stations already, it will be in East London if The Irons didn’t come home with the three points.
Stuart Kavanagh is a journalist currently residing in Broken Hill, Australia. He writes for the Barrier Truth newspaper, along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, He also co-hosts the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast and contributes at edgeofthecrowd.com when time permits.
Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.