With the new PL season only a week away, we bring you our Premier League 24/25 West Ham vs Aston Villa preview. With an exceptional end to their 23/24 season, Aston Villa are primed to continue their impressive performance heading into the first game of the new season. They put up an incredible showing compared to their previous results, the club has finally earned their spot among some of the strongest teams in England. Now holding on to this form will be Unai Emery’s number one concern. West Ham on the other hand has seen a drop in their placements compared to their previous seasons. Despite having an average placement near the top six areas, Julen Lopetegui will be disappointed with their most recent ninth-place finish last season. Changing that will be the player’s main objective heading into this season.
West Ham are set to take on Aston Villa during matchday one, which is building up to be quite the encounter between the two sides. Considering West Ham’s decline during the last season, players like Jarrod Bowen and James Ward-Prowse will be aiming to improve the club’s attacking potential. Despite their impressive showings in a few matches, the club had a disappointing finish. West Ham has never been consistent on the leaderboards but the 20/21 and 21/22 seasons showed the fans their immense potential. With finishes near the top seven, the team had a strong sense of diversity in their football. However, things started falling apart for the next two seasons. After an incredibly underwhelming 14th-place finish during the 22/23 season, the club slowly worked its way to ninth during the last league. Now their primary objective will be to widen the variety of their tactics and improve their finishing, starting with their game against Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa have been consistently improving since their 21/22 season which had them finish 14th. Their inability to convert opportunities and change the pace of their attacks when necessary was a major obstacle in their path to refinement. Slowly but surely, the team worked on their pacing and conversion rates. This strengthened their delivery during matches and helped them finish the 23/24 season in fourth place. Now with their morale at an all-time high, the club will aim to hold on to this form and work on perfecting their passing. With the addition of Enzo Barrenechea and Ian Maatsen, the team’s defensive capabilities may also improve. A lot depends on the players being able to individually adapt to each other as the speed of the game changes, especially against more aggressive teams like Manchester City. Fans hope to see their team continue to improve and maintain their placements in the league starting with their first match.
The game is set to take place on August 17 at London Stadium, which is the home field of West Ham United.
West Ham United Team Preview
West Ham is one of the most esteemed clubs not just in England, but all over Europe. The club has spent a major amount of tenure in the top flight of the English Leagues and has impressed analysts and experts over the years. However, the team has seen a rough few years recently. Their performance has been considerably inconsistent as they seemed to lack persistence.
Their last few seasons were quite impressive, especially during the 20/21 Premier League. They finished sixth with 65 points and 19 wins. They were able to maintain this form and remained composed during the next season as well. The 21/22 season had them finish seventh with 56 points. They even earned a spot in the Europa Conference League qualifiers, showing their remarkable acumen and agility.
However, the team has been unable to maintain the form in the following couple of seasons. A major decline in their performance was seen during the following season of the Premier League. They managed to finish 14th, barely avoiding relegation, and accumulated a total of only 40 points. The team was in rough shape that season. Their chemistry was not efficient and they lacked vigor while attacking. Their poor defensive reaction also led them to win only 11 games that season.
The team did improve slightly during the next 23/24 season, bumping up their finishing to ninth. Significant changes and new plans on the tactics board by Julen Lopetegui have allowed the team to work on their passing and become faster during counter-attacks. Improvements in their attacking plays allowed players like Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus to be more free near the penalty box and midfielders like James Ward-Prowse to easily run at defenders and pass to the strikers. The club ended up winning 14 games and earned 52 points. However, the journey to their old glory was still long and will have to be continued during the 24/25 season.
The current squad for the club looks very promising. New players like Max Kilman on defense and Kalvin Phillips, who is on loan from Manchester City, will need to adapt to the new team composition. The work rate and speed during the club’s counter-attacks need to improve. Midfielders like James Ward-Prowse and Edson Álvarez will have a lot of responsibility as they need to react both defensively and assist the running strikers at the same time. Making all these players mesh together well and remain composed will be the key to West Ham’s glory.
Predicted XI: Fabiański(GK), Mavropanos, Kilman, Cresswell, Coufal, Potts, Souček, Emerson, Kudus, Ward-Prowse, Antonio
Aston Villa FC Team Preview
Aston Villa’s confidence is at an all-time high as of now. The club has worked their way up the standings throughout the last few years. Their form during the most recent 23/24 Premier League was nothing short of exceptional. However, the journey was slow and grueling. Back during the 20/21 season of the Premier League, Aston Villa’s average finish was around the 10th to 12th spots, and their team’s form was not very good. Their ability to maintain possession was quite poor and they were unable to react quickly to their opponents. This led to the players being unable to control the pace of the game and constantly remaining on the backfoot during engagements.
The 22/23 season had the club show glimpses of their potential as they showed incredible speed and acumen during their attacks. Their passing and possession stats also went up. These changes eventually helped the club improve their finishing position during the season. They made it to seventh place and accumulated 61 points.
Alongside winning 18 games, the club also earned a spot in the Europa Conference League qualifiers. This came as a good omen for the team as they grew as a team and individually as well. Fans were still doubtful if this form could be maintained by the players as they headed into the 23/24 season.
Despite the odds being stacked against them, Aston Villa not only maintained but improved their placements during the season. They ended the season with 68 points and a fourth-place finish. Even though they were not quite on the same level as the top three teams, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool, who were all above 80 points, the club strengthened numerous critical aspects of their play style. They were able to snatch victory against the likes of Tottenham, Crystal Palace, and even the top three finishers of the season a few times.
The improvements in the club’s defensive line-up and passing have allowed the players to maintain possession of the ball and control the flow of the game easily. This also allows their strikers to look for openings and have support from attacking midfielders like Enzo Barrenechea and Youri Tielemans.
Predicted XI: Martínez(GK), Maatsen, Nedeljkovic, Cash, Carlos, Barkley, Barrenechea, Onana, Archer, Iling-Junior, Watkins
West Ham United vs Aston Villa FC Betting Odds
Newcastle United 2.60 – 3.50 Draw –2.60 Southampton (Bet365)
West Ham United vs Aston Villa FC Head-to-Head Stats
So far West Ham and Aston Villa have played each other 39 times. Out of those 39 games, West Ham won 12 and Aston Villa won 10. The remaining 17 matches ended in a draw. During direct-win games, both teams scored an average of 2.44 goals per match. Out of the last eight games between the two sides, 5 of them were won by West Ham. Aston Villa won once and the rest of the two were draws. The most recent game between the two clubs, which took place back in March of this year, ended in a draw.
West Ham United vs Aston Villa FC Betting Tips and Predictions
Based on these stats, it can be determined that both teams are quite evenly matched. Their past head-to-head records suggest a 43.5% chance of the game ending up in a draw. When it comes to direct-win games, West Ham boasts the stronger numbers. They have won more games against Aston Villa. This suggests that West Ham have the advantage statistically. They have performed against the Villians with confidence and consistency.
However, based on the recent performance of the two clubs in the league and recent seasons. Aston Villa has shown more improvement and placed in higher positions compared to West Ham. Their last couple of seasons displayed their incredible acumen and cohesiveness as a team. On the other hand, West Ham has been through a rough few seasons in the Premier League and is slowly working their way to recovery.
Considering these facts, it is quite difficult to pick a winner before the game as both squads have undergone massive changes and are in sort of a transitional period. Statistically, West Ham has the advantage while Aston Villa showed a lot of promise last season. These facts prove that this game will turn out to be quite fierce as both clubs have an even chance of winning.