West Ham returns to London and Premier League action after a disappointing result in Seville in the Europa League midweek. David Moyes men welcome Steven Gerrard and his Aston Villa team, whose form has been hot and cold.
The Hammers couldn’t have requested better opponents to face in order to return to the winner’s list. They are in rare form against Villa. The last time they had such dominance over Villa was nearly sixty years ago.
The East Londoners are undefeated in their last six league meetings against the Villains, keeping four clean sheets in the process.
As well as attempting to score against West Ham for the first time since 2011, Steven Gerrard’s men will need to overcome a woeful record when playing in London. Historically, they have won only 21% of their fixtures played in the capital.
Of all sides in the English football pyramid to have played at least 100 games there, only Southampton has a worse win percentage.
West Ham vs Aston Villa FYIs
When is it? Sunday, 13 March 2022 2 PM
Where is it? Olympic Stadium, London
Who’s in form? West Ham (DWLLL) Aston Villa (LLWWW)
What are the odds? West Ham (+140) Aston Villa (+215) Draw (+230)
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Let’s dive straight in and see who is out for the Irons in this crucial clash.
Angelo Ogbonna and Vlad Coufal remain on the long-term injury lists. The Ogbonna knee injury will see the Italian miss at least the rest of this season. Coufal’s return is likely to occur after the international break at this point.
Andriy Yarmolenko is still on compassionate leave. The Ukrainian has bigger things than football on his mind, with his homeland currently being invaded by Russia. Hammers manager David Moyes insisted a week ago that Yarmolenko will not be rushed back into the side and will return on his own terms.
Despite Declan Rice playing 90 minutes in Spain midweek, there is some talk that he will need a late fitness test in order to start against Villa this weekend. West Ham has club captain and stalwart Mark Noble fit and ready to play if required. Regardless of Noble’s availability, everyone connected with the East Londoners will have their fingers crossed, Rice will be fit.
In a further blow, it seems highly unlikely that Jarrod Bowen will take any part this weekend. The heel injury that saw him miss the Hammer’s trip to Spain is probably going to force him to sit out of this match, too.
The small size of the West Ham squad means even a few injuries will impact them worse than other sides.
Add in the dreaded continental hangover, and that historical undefeated streak of the East Londoners I referenced at the beginning of the article is looking very vulnerable indeed.
Stuart Kavanagh is an up-and-coming sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is also the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.