Julen Lopetegui takes charge of the Hammers for the first time after a hefty summer rebuild , following the end of David Moyes’ highly-acclaimed second spell at London Stadium ended in somewhat of a whimper.
It may take time for the array of new signings to gel and West Ham have not enjoyed the best of form during pre-season, failing to win their last three friendlies.
Unai Emery’s Villa represent a daunting first task for the Spaniard after qualifying for the Champions League with a top-four finish last season.
A rather curious transfer window dominated by bulking out the squad while sticking to Profit & Sustainability Rules has left a bit of a question mark as to whether Villa have genuinely improved or not, as they prepare to fight on multiple fronts.
Date, kick-off time and venue
West Ham vs Aston Villa is scheduled for a 5.30pm BST kick-off tonight, Saturday August 17, 2024.
The match will take place at London Stadium.
These sides drew 1-1 in east London last season (Getty Images)
Where to watch West Ham vs Aston Villa
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League .
Live stream: Fans can catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app .
A hamstring injury suffered at the Copa America has kept West Ham midfielder Edson Alvarez out of pre-season and he will remain sidelined this weekend.
Lopetegui is set to embed Max Kilman into his defence from the off as Crysencio Summerville, Luis Guilherme, Niclas Fullkrug and Jean-Clair Todibo also compete for debuts. Aaron Wan-Bissaka could also play after joining from Manchester United earlier this week.
Lucas Paqueta will continue to be available for selection despite the ongoing spot-fixing charges being investigated by the FA, which the Brazilian denies.
Villa start the season with Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings in the treatment room. There are also question marks over Ollie Watkins’ fitness given he did not play in pre-season but reserve goalkeeper Robin Olsen is back fit.
Amadou Onana is set to debut in central midfield while fellow new signings Jaden Philogene, Ross Barkley and Ian Maatsen are all in contention. Teenage right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic is a surprise contender to start.
Jhon Duran remains at Aston Villa despite plenty of transfer interest (Getty Images)
West Ham vs Aston Villa prediction
West Ham boast a very decent record in this fixture but have a lot of work to do to gel a new squad and manager together. Villa are not short of question marks themselves.
A 1-1 draw.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Villa have only beaten the Hammers once since May 2015, which was a 4-1 thrashing at Villa Park last season.
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