Are the Hammers performing under their new manager?

The top leagues get underway! In England, Italy, Spain and France, the first matchday takes place this weekend. Only the Bundesliga is starting a week late due to the first cup round. There is a real cracker in the Premier League on Saturday evening:

West Ham United host Aston Villa and the oddsmakers’ forecast is leaning towards a win for the hosts.

The 14th and ninth places in the last two years were very sobering for the Hammers. That is why this year not only the player carousel was turned around, but there was also a change in the coaching position. Former Spanish national team coach Julen Lopetegui is set to get the Londoners back on the road to success. In the West Ham vs. Aston Villa match, the bet on a home win is rewarded with odds of 2.47 at the top

The visitors from Birmingham are among the contenders for a place in international business. Last season, they achieved this with fourth place. However, the pre-season matches show that not everything is running smoothly for the claret and blue. The bookmaker Sunmaker is offering odds of 2.85 for betting on the Villans in the match between West Ham and Aston Villa.

West Ham – Statistics & current form

Since winning the Conference League in 2023, West Ham United have been chasing success. Finishing fourteenth and ninth in the last two years, they have missed out on a place in European competition via the league. The Bordeaux Reds upgraded accordingly this summer.

Max Kilman was brought in from Wolverhampton Wanderers for the defense. In attack, Crysencio Summerville and Niklas Füllkrug are expected to make up for the departure of Benrahma. We are indeed seeing a clear upgrade of the squad. Julen Lepetegui will be in charge with immediate effect. He succeeds David Moyes, who was at the helm of the Hammers for four and a half years

West Ham with no convincing preparation

The Irons were only partially convincing in the pre-season games. In addition to victories over Dagenham & Redbridge (1-0) and Celta Vigo (8-7 on penalties), they suffered defeats against Wolves (1-3) and Crystal Palace by the same scoreline

One of the reasons for their poor performance last season was their poor home record. Only seven of the nineteen games at the London Stadium were won. That is obviously not enough for a strong finish. That’s why the aim this year is to turn the home pitch into a fortress

Can Lepetegui get the defensive problems under control?

Kilman should bring more stability to the defense. 74 goals conceded last season was the fourth worst figure in this statistic! Internationally, the Irons reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League as Conference winners last year before being knocked out by Bayer Leverkusen.

In general, the season finale was characterized by many disappointments. Only one win was achieved in the last eight competitive matches. In the end, Moyes lacked the arguments to extend his contract and a change of manager took place.

Predicted West Ham line-up:

Aston Villa – Statistics & current form

Aston Villa can look back on a successful season. The seven-time champions – the last title win dates back to 1981 – finished in a strong fourth place and advanced to the Champions League. Given the strong national competition, it will be difficult to repeat this success.

The test matches clearly show that there is still sand in the Villans’ gears. They have only won one of their last five games, but have lost four matches. The victory was over Athletic Bilbao (3:2). Defeats have come against German representatives RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, among others. In both encounters, the CL participants lost 2:0.

Bad prospects for a successful start to the season. Yet there is a series to end. The Weinrot-Himmelblauen have been without a win in six competitive matches. Their last win came in April in a 3:1 victory over AFC Bournemouth. Tested bookmaker Winamax is not optimistic that the tide will turn on Saturday and is offering odds of 2.70 on the men from Birmingham in the West Ham v Aston Villa game

Villa with a well-coordinated defense

In defense, head coach Unai Emery can rely on a well-rehearsed team. All key players have been retained and a new left-back has been signed in the shape of Ian Maatsen. But before that, there was a lot of movement in the squad. The sales of Douglas Luiz (Juventus Turin) and Moussa Diaby (Al-Ittihad) flushed a lot of money into the coffers. Much of it was invested in Amadou Onana from Everton FC.

Last season, Aston Villa were the fourth best away team in the Premier League. However, they lost their last four competitive matches away from home. Internationally, the visitors represented their colors in the Conference League. After finishing top of the group stage, Villa progressed to the semi-finals. Here they were eliminated after two defeats against the eventual Cup winners Olympiakos Piraeus.

Predicted Aston Villa line-up:

West Ham – Aston Villa head-to-head comparison / H2H record

This is the 107th time these two teams have met in the Premier League this weekend. The record so far is quite even. The Hammers have won 38 times and the Villans have been successful 34 times. For the upcoming match between West Ham and Aston Villa, the bookmakers’ forecast sees slight advantages for the hosts.

Last season, the teams drew 1-1 at the London Stadium. It was a clearer affair in Birmingham, when the claret and blue won 4-1. The Irons have not won any of their last three head-to-head meetings. In three of the last four encounters, fewer than 2.5 goals have been scored

West Ham – Aston Villa betting tip

With a transfer turnover of over €1 billion, the Premier League has been on a shopping spree again this summer. We are curious to see whether the Citizens will once again be the measure of all things and who their toughest rivals are. Two highly rated rivals meet on Saturday evening. The Hammers from London want to make up for the past two years under their new manager and get into the fight for the international starting places.

The visitors from Birmingham played a strong last season and were rewarded with a place in the Champions League. It will be difficult to repeat this success. With Liverpool, the clubs from Manchester, the Gunners and Chelsea, the field of ambitious teams is well filled.

The results in the preparation games are not really convincing for either team. There still seems to be a lot of work for the coaches to do. But Lopetegui and Emery are experienced coaches on the sidelines. We think the home side are a small step ahead and we believe they have a good chance of a successful start to the season in front of their own fans. That’s why our recommendation for West Ham v Aston Villa is a bet on the hosts at odds of 2.47 at the top.

We are curious to see whether “Fülle” will get his first minutes in the Premier League and perhaps even score his first goal. We expect attacking teams, so in the duel between West Ham and Aston Villa, at odds of 1.57, the bet on at least three goals is a good alternative