After grabbing all three points in a controversial Premier League encounter with Southampton, Aston Villa will be looking to make it two wins on the bounce when they host West Ham United this Wednesday.
Dean Smith’s side are still hoping to nab a European place come the end of this campaign, but the Hammers have aspirations of their own after a surprise season. David Moyes’ side were beaten by Liverpool last time out, but they had racked up an incredible six wins in all competitions prior to that result.
Smith is not expected to make major changes for the clash with the Irons, but we expect a couple of tweaks, and below is a look at how Villa might line up.
In goal, Emiliano Martinez will be hoping for yet another clean sheet after sealing his tenth of the season with a superb performance against Southampton, as the Argentina international continues to cement himself as one of the top flight’s finest shot-stoppers.
Matt Targett has been superb recently and should not lose his place, so we don’t forsee any changes in the back four. The Villa boss confirmed an injury issue for Kourtney Hause in the build-up to this match, so keeping Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa fit over these coming weeks will now be essential.
In midfield, Morgan Sanson is pushing for his full debut after joining from Ligue 1 giants Marseille, and although he hasn’t exactly set the world alight so far, Smith seemed to hint that the Frenchman is in his plans to get his first start against Moyes’ men tonight.
The 26-year-old’s availability gives Smith somewhat of a selection headache, but if he does start, Douglas Luiz looks to be the likely partner given the defensive balance he can bring, meaning popular Scotland star John McGinn would be the one to miss out.
Further forward, £40,000-a-week winger Anwar El Ghazi is surely due a chance to break back into the side after losing his place to Bertrand Traore – the Burkina Faso forward hasn’t exactly made the spot his own despite some flashes of good form.
All in all, after the win against Southampton Smith is unlikely to completely overhaul his XI, but we think these couple of tweaks could make all the difference to give Moyes a headache of his own.
Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, Sanson; El Ghazi, Barkley, Grealish; Watkins.
