Things are actually starting to look up, a tiny bit, for West Ham United manager David Moyes right now. At least in a relative sense. The Hammers took care of business in the UEFA Europa Conference League today, against a club most of us have never heard of, and they have crawled out of the relegation zone, for the time being.
Obviously nothing to really be proud of, but hey, you’ve got to start somewhere.
West Ham vs Aston Villa FYIs
Kick-off: Sunday March 12, 3pm local, London Stadium
Team News for Both Sides: Go Here
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Form: Aston Villa WWLLL West Ham LWLDD
PL Standing: Aston Villa 11th, 34 pts West Ham 16th, 23 pts
Google Result Probability: Aston Villa victory 29% Draw 28% West Ham victory 43%
Moyes knows that he can’t fall back into the relegation zone, at any cost, because if he does, well, a pink slip awaits. It would be disastrous for the club if they get the drop this season, and it would mark the second time that Moyes has been terminated by the East London club.
Here’s what we think is a strong lineup that could potentially bring a result here against the Villans on Sunday.
West Ham United Starting XI Prediction vs Aston Villa
Areola; Johnson, Kehrer, Aguerd, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek, Paqueta; Benrahma, Antonio, Bowen
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.