Both West Ham and Aston Villa have seen big swings in their fortune over the past several years. They’ve been outsiders crashing the party with European league qualifications and trophy contention. Aston Villa have continued on that track and have risen to third in the table. West Ham have gone in the opposite direction, tumbling to 18th and finding themselves in a relegation battle.
Aston Villa are +105 favorites on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the draw priced at +255. If you’re keen on a West Ham upset, they’re at +265 on the moneyline. The total for this match is set at 2.5 goals. Let’s dig into a prediction and pick for this West Ham-Aston Villa match.
West Ham vs. Aston Villa Prediction, Pick
It was a brutal start to the season for the Hammers. Including the Carabao Cup, West Ham went 1-1-8 in their first 10 domestic matches. It was a stretch marked by humiliating losses that ultimately led to manager Graham Potter being sacked just halfway through the slide. But there has been marked improvement under the new manager, Nuno Espirito Santo.
West Ham are 2-3-1 in their past six matches. That includes wins over Newcastle and Burnley with quality draws against Man United and Brighton; at the end of the day, nobody can fault them for losing to Liverpool. It’s possible that the early firing of Potter will save them from relegation, as long as they can keep up the pace that Santo has set. They sure have the talent to do it.
But they’ll be hard-pressed to keep their form against Aston Villa. Including their Europa League matches, Villa have won eight consecutive matches. They’re the odds-on favorite to win the Europa League as of now, which would automatically qualify them for Champions League football next season. Even if they lose that league, they’re in a good position to qualify in the EPL table.
Defense and timely offense have been the themes of the season. Villa is tied for third in total goals allowed and has a balanced group of attacking threats that keep opponents off balance. One day it’s Morgan Rogers, the next it’s Ollie Watkins, the day after that it’s Matty Cash finding the back of the net. Manager Unai Emery has these boys firing.
Even with home-field advantage, I don’t see West Ham slowing Villa’s roll. They’re going to take some stopping, and a better team than the Hammers will have to get it done. I’ll take the plus value on Villa’s moneyline and call it a day.
