At A Glance
Aston Villa and West Ham United go head-to-head at Villa Park on Sunday.
A 2-1 victory against Everton in the club’s last B6 outing was sandwiched by away defeats, the latest of which was a 3-1 loss at the hands of Crystal Palace.
Steven Gerrard’s team bounced back with a midweek win at Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup, netting four times through Danny Ings, Leon Bailey, Douglas Luiz and Lucas Digne.
Villa will be keen to gain revenge after the Hammers did the double over them last season, including a 4-1 success at Villa Park.
The east London side have started their Premier League campaign with three straight defeats, failing to score a goal in any of those matches.
David Moyes’ men have fared better in Europa Conference League qualifying, securing their place in the group stage with a 3-0 away win against Viborg FF on Thursday.
Standout Stats
West Ham are vying for a fifth consecutive league win against Aston Villa.
Villa's only victory in the past 12 Premier League meetings was by 1-0 at home in May 2015 (D5, L6).
Villa are looking to earn consecutive home league wins in the same season for the first time since January 2021.
Ollie Watkins has been involved in seven goals in his past nine Premier League appearances, with four goals and three assists.
Danny Ings is winless and without a goal in all 10 Premier League appearances versus West Ham. It's the most games he has played against a side without ever scoring.
West Ham have lost their opening three league games of a season without scoring for only the second time. It previously happened in 1971/72, when their fourth match was a 0-0 draw with Ipswich.
In English top-flight history, only four sides have gone four fixtures without a point or goal from the beginning of a season: Derby County in 1899, Stoke City in 1906, Preston North End in 1924, and Crystal Palace in 2017.
The Hammers have lost seven of their past nine Premier League away games, with their solitary win during that run coming at already relegated Norwich City in May.
This is West Ham's 1,000th Premier League fixture; they are the ninth club to reach this landmark.
Manager David Moyes is unbeaten in 12 Premier League fixtures against Aston Villa since his Everton were beaten 1-0 at Villa Park in August 2010 (W7, D5).
The Last Meeting
Jacob Ramsey’s late goal proved to be only a consolation as Aston Villa were defeated by West Ham at London Stadium on March.
Hammers substitute Andriy Yarmolenko opened the scoring when he converted a well-taken strike in the 70th minute.
Pablo Fornals swept home a second for West Ham on the counter-attack prior to the late drama, but Villa could not force an injury-time leveller.
Team News
Aside from Diego Carlos, Steven Gerrard has a fully fit squad to choose from for Sunday’s game.
Ludwig Augustinsson missed the midweek win at Bolton with a knee injury but has since returned to full training.
West Ham’s Vladimir Coufal will need to pass concussion protocols after he was knocked out during last weekend’s defeat to Brighton.
Nayef Aguerd is out with an ankle injury while Craig Dawson may be fit to return at Villa Park.
The Boss
“I watched them last night and they certainly didn’t look like a bad team to me. West Ham have done ever so well under the guidance of David Moyes over the last few years. They’ve been up competing at the top end of the league and pushing for those European spots. They’ve had a fantastic run in Europe. I know more than most about European runs, as a player and as a manager, and how difficult it is to get to those latter stages. David Moyes and his team have done an incredible job over the last few years. There certainly won’t be any disrespect or wild opinions coming from this direction. Having said that, I’m sure he (Moyes) would have wanted a more positive start – a bit like myself. I’m sure he’ll be desperate to take three points at the weekend. It’s all to play for. It’s a tough game for both teams, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Steven Gerrard
