West Ham is in the midst of a relegation battle, currently sitting in 18th place in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Aston Villa is fighting for European football, currently in fourth place in the Premier League. This match, and every match for the rest of the season, means everything to both of these clubs.
Aston Villa are -105 favorites on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the draw priced at +275. If you fancy a West Ham upset, they’re at +300 on the Moneyline. The total for this match is set at 2.5 goals. Here is my prediction and pick for this Aston Villa vs. West Ham match.
Aston Villa vs. West Ham Prediction, Preview
West Ham have been playing much brighter football over the past few weeks. The Hammers seemed destined for relegation only a few weeks ago, but a few good results have changed their fortune. Over West Ham’s past six Premier League matches, they have only lost once, which came away to Liverpool. West Ham have stolen points from both Manchester United and Manchester City over this stretch. They have also kept up the positive momentum by moving on to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
The Hammers have distanced themselves from Wolves and Burnley at the bottom of the table. They are now level on points with Nottingham Forest, and only trail Tottenham by one point and Leeds by three points (as of Saturday morning). Wolves and Burnley have all but locked in their relegation spots. That leaves West Ham, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Leeds in contention for that third relegation spot. Currently, West Ham look like the in-form team that should escape going down.
Aston Villa is not in good form after starting the season brilliantly. Villa was alongside Manchester City, fighting for second place for most of the season. Now, not only does Aston Villa trail Manchester City by 10 points, but they are also four points back from Manchester United for third place. Luckily for Aston Villa, the teams chasing them, Chelsea and Liverpool, are also both in dreadful form. Both of those clubs already lost on Saturday, so Villa have a chance to go five points clear of Liverpool with a win against West Ham.
Aston Villa vs. West Ham Pick, Best Bet
My best bet for this match is on West Ham +0.5 goals. West Ham have become a tough team to play against. Over their last eight matches in all competitions, the Hammers have four wins, three draws and one loss. Their only loss since the beginning of February came on a tough away day at Anfield. No trip to Villa Park is easy, but Villa have been quite easy to play against as of late. They have not won in the Premier League since February 11th. Their last three matches have been losses to Chelsea, Manchester United and Wolves, by a combined score of 9-2.
Aston Villa have no momentum at the moment. The lack of pressure from Chelsea and Liverpool for that fourth spot might actually be hurting Villa, because there seems to be no urgency in their play at the moment. Meanwhile, West Ham have a ton of positive momentum and know that they are in a rock fight to avoid relegation. If any player on the pitch is to nick a goal to ensure his team gets a result, it’s Jarrod Bowen. Whether it’s fear of his father-in-law — Hammers superfan Danny Dyer — love for his club or a bit of both, Bowen seems to be taking the personal responsibility of making sure West Ham does not get relegated. I’ll back the Hammers to get a positive result against a struggling Aston Villa side.
