West Ham vs Aston Villa prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2024-08-16 16:30.
[p]Many sentiments along the lines of âbe careful what you wish forâ echoed from the lips of rival fans and pundits alike when West Ham brought an end to David Moyesâ tenure in favour of hiring former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui. Such criticisms have dissipated after a hugely encouraging summer transfer window thatâs seen the Hammers spend north of ÂŁ100m![/p]
[p]The 2023/24 Championship Player of the Season Crysencio Summerville and Germany striker Niclas FĂŒllkrug are amongst the eye-catching signings, along with their numerous defensive additions. West Ham fans will hope the new arrivals can settle in quickly as they look to avoid a third straight winless Premier League opener (D1, L1), against an Aston Villa side theyâve avoided defeat against in 11 of the last 12 H2Hs (W6, D5). [/p]
[p]Excitement is equally high in the Villa camp after they gatecrashed Europeâs elite to get into the modern UEFA Champions League for the first time with a fourth-placed finish last time around. Continuing that form is crucial to another positive season on the domestic front, but fans will know all too well that a strong start isnât guaranteed after losing four of their five Premier League openers since last gaining promotion (W1). [/p]
[p]The hosts arenât the only side whoâve been busy over summer, with the large sums Villa received for the departed pair Moussa Diaby and Douglas Luiz making way for the marquee signings of Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen. We could be in for a game to match the off-field excitement here too, as boss Unai Emery is yet to draw a Premier League opener in his career (W1, L2), with both defeats coming by multi-goal margins. [/p]
[p]Key battle: For all of their eye-catching deals, the addition of centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo could prove to be a crucial one for West Ham; the Frenchman made 30 Ligue 1 appearances last season, starting in every one of Niceâs run of seven straight matches without conceding. Trying to spoil the party will be January arrival Morgan Rogers – he has featured heavily in pre-season after missing the end of last term through injury and netted the second goal of the game in all three of his Villa scoring appearances. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Four of Villa boss Emeryâs five H2Hs against West Ham saw both teams score (W2, D2, L1).[/p]
[p][i]Written by Matthew Billon[/i][/p]