Aston Villa vs West Ham: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Aston Villa should have enough quality to overcome West Ham United, who are increasingly under pressure following their recent 4-1 defeat against Manchester City. The Villains have an exceptional home record this season, with only two losses in all competitions at Villa Park. The hosts come into this game with four home wins from their previous five, which include significant victories against Manchester City (2-1) and Brentford (3-1).

West Ham United have two losses in their last five away fixtures and have conceded nine goals in their last two Premier League matches. Aston Villa are unbeaten in the last four meetings between the two teams and both teams have scored in nine of the last ten between these two sides – Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham

Aston Villa host West Ham in the third round of the FA Cup, with both teams hoping for deep cup runs this season.

Date: 10/01/25

Kick-off time: 20:00

Venue: Villa Park

The hosts are fighting for another season of European football, but focus this weekend will be on the FA Cup. Villa have enjoyed a solid season, currently occupying eighth, just four points behind the top four. They won last time out at home to Leicester, and will be hoping to continue this momentum. Unai Emery’s side will be desperate to advance given they have been eliminated in the third round in seven of the last eight seasons.

It will be an all Premier League affair as West Ham make the trip to the Midlands. The Hammers have had a bit more cup success in recent years than their opponents, though have not made it past the fifth round since 2016. This will be a welcome distraction from league action where they have now lost two games in a row and sit in 13th.

Goals should be a feature in this one with two inconsistent defences facing off. West Ham have kept just one clean sheet in their last eight and have conceded nine in their last two, though this did come against Liverpool and Manchester City. Similarly, Villa have struggled at the back with one clean sheet in their last 13 league games. They are, however, unbeaten in their last 10 at Villa Park.

Going forward, both teams will have some key absences regardless of rotation. For Villa, Jhon Duran remains out through suspension, while West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen is sidelined with a fractured foot. The pair are their team’s respective top scorers in all competitions. In their absence, there are still several players to cause a threat. Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers have combined for 14 league goals, and if involved this weekend, will be the main sources of attack for the hosts.

Four goals in their last five suggest West Ham will have issues in attack, particularly with Bowen unavailable. Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus will be players to watch out for, though they have only scored three apiece this season.

These two teams have met 10 times since 2020, all in the Premier League. West Ham have been the dominant side, winning five to Villa’s two and two draws. This includes a five-game winning streak to begin this stretch. However, recent history favours Aston Villa, who are unbeaten in the last four. The reverse fixture earlier this season ended 2-1 to Emery’s side as Amadou Onana and Duran scored either side of a Paqueta equaliser. This will be the first FA Cup tie between the pair since 1980.

Aston Villa vs West Ham will be available to watch on ITV1.

Aston Villa

Jhon Duran serves the last of his three-game suspension, whilst Diego Carlos and Jaden Philogene remain out. Morgan Rogers will be available for selection after suspension. John McGinn will be out for a few weeks after being substituted with a hamstring injury.

West Ham

Jarrod Bowen will be out for a while with a fractured foot, though goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski could return following a concussion. Jean-Clair Todibo and Emerson Palmieri will likely miss out through injury.

Aston Villa:

In their last five games, Aston Villa have won two, lost two and drawn one. It has been a solid stretch for Villa but they have struggled a little for consistency. This run started with an away game at Nottingham Forest. They lost 2-1 as Forest scored twice in the closing stages to overturn a 1-0 deficit given to them by Jhon Duran.

They then faced struggling Man City at home. Villa beat the champions 2-1, with goals from Duran and Morgan Rogers before a late Phil Foden consolation. On Boxing Day, they travelled to Newcastle, though lost 3-0. Anthony Gordon gave the hosts a very early lead, before Duran was sent off shortly after the half hour mark. Alexander Isak and Joelinton completed the scoring in the second half.

A home game against fellow European challengers Brighton followed. They drew 2-2 in a game where both teams took the lead. Ollie Watkins and Rogers were on the scoresheet. In their most recent game they hosted strugglers Leicester. They won 2-1 with goals coming from Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey either side of a Stephy Mavididi equaliser.

West Ham:

In their last five games, West Ham have won one, lost two and drawn two. It has been an inconsistent stretch for the Hammers, as they have been unable to string wins together. This run started with a draw away at Bournemouth, where they left with a 1-1 result. West Ham thought they had won it late with a Lucas Paqueta penalty, but minutes later the Cherries equalised through an Enes Unal free kick.

The same scoreline occurred in their next match at home to Brighton. Again the points were shared, but this time the hosts came from behind. Mats Wieffer gave the Seagulls the lead, before Mohammed Kudus levelled the score seven minutes later. Their only win of this period came away at bottom club Southampton. They were narrow 1-0 victors with Jarrod Bowen scoring the winning goal on Boxing Day.

A damning 5-0 home defeat followed to leaders Liverpool, as the Reds overwhelmed them at the London Stadium. Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah each scored before half-time, before Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota completed the scoring after the break. Last time out, West Ham travelled to champions Man City, where they lost 4-1. Niclas Fullkrug scored a late consolation after the hosts took a 4-0 lead before the hour mark.

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