Coming off the back of ending Manchester City’s 4-year hold on the EFL Cup on Wednesday, the Hammers will hope their high-flying start to the season will continue as they visit Aston Villa this Sunday.
Contrasting Form
The Hammers will feel confident going in to the game following their London derby victory against Tottenham last week which lifted them into the top 4 of the Premier League table, where as their hosts current form is a vast contrast.
Despite a promising summer transfer window which saw Villa bring in stars such as Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings, Villa sit 13th in the League following a poor performance against Arsenal last weekend, leaving them on a three game losing streak.
Fully Fit
West Ham Manager, David Moyes, goes into the game with a fully fit squad to pick from following the return of Right-back Vladimir Coufal on Wednesday. Many of the Scotsman’s star players sat out the EFL Cup game mid-week, therefore a similar starting eleven to the one that defeated Tottenham is expected.
Villa manager, Dean Smith, is in a similar spot. Winger Leon Bailey will hope he earned a starting job following his return against Arsenal.
The Jamaican international looked strong after coming off the bench at half time, and for similar reasons academy starlet Jacob Ramsey may also be brought in. Forward Bertrand Traore is also set to return.
His return enables the hosts to switch from the narrow 4-1-2-1-2 formation, to their familiar 4-3-3 formation more suited to protect their full backs that were exposed on many occasions last week.
Hammers Halloween History
Last year this fixture saw West Ham walk out 3-1 winners, with Jesse Lingard, as he often was last season, the match winner. However, Halloween has been a spooky time of year for the Hammers, losing on the two occasions they’ve played on the date this century.
A 2-0 away loss to Liverpool last year and a 2-1 away loss to Watford in 2015, and a fully-fit Aston Villa team looking to bounce back can be a scary sight for any side, so could history repeat itself or will it be a Happy Halloween for The Hammers.
