West Ham host Aston Villa in a 14:00 PM kick off this Sunday with both sides in need of points to keep up with the teams around them. West Ham currently sit 7th and a win would apply extra pressure to Manchester United who are in a spot for the Europa League next season, if England fails to win the extra coefficient spot. Aston Villa on the other hand are trying to keep their hold on that special 4th spot as Tottenham have a game in hand on the Villans and would go up to 4th with a win, so it is crucial that Emery’s side win to give Spurs as hard a job as they can.

West Ham have had a weird 2024 so far. There were many calls for David Moyes to be sacked after they lost three successive matches in the Premier league to Manchester United, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. They responded to this with two wins in a row against Brentford and Everton, shutting down the rumours for the time being and buying Moyes a few more games in the job.

However, in their last match they once again proved they can’t be trusted to put together a patch of form as they had to come from two goals behind to get a draw against 19th placed Burnley. I simply cannot tell you what to expect from this West Ham side, they are unpredictable in the best and worst ways. They may be the home side on saturday but judging by last week, that may not be the strength we think it should be. A win for West Ham would be monumental due to the amazing season Villa have been having and it would really bring the confidence back amongst the West Ham fans.

Aston Villa need to respond to last week’s thrashing by Postecoglu’s Spurs. A 4-0 loss at home is never pretty but when it’s against the side chasing you, it really just makes us question if Villa are up to the challenge. Unai Emery will still have confidence that his players are up to the task as they dismantled West Ham in the reverse fixture in October, with a scoreline of 4-1.

If Villa want to keep that spot in the Champions League, these are the games they have to win, to prove they belong with the big boys. They drew this match last year and any points dropped in the position they are in now will have Tottenham licking their lips. After spending what feels like the entire season in the top four, Aston Villa can’t afford to lose their grip in the final third of the season. Aston Villa have had a far better season than West Ham but the question of mentality and pressure may have a huge impact on the result on Sunday.

With John McGinn suspended and Jacob Ramsey still a doubt, West Ham will have the advantage with regards to picking their first eleven and that just may be the boost the Hammers need. Despite the difference between the two sides this season and the overall quality of their squad, I think the pressure will tell and Aston Villa will fail to win on Sunday, sharing the points with West Ham in a 2-2 draw. This may be controversial but after a defeat like they received last week, I think the Villa players are going to be mentally scarred, knowing Spurs are onto them.