It`s a clash of the two claret and blue sides in the Premier League this Saturday when West Ham United welcome Aston Villa to Upton Park. With the Hammers slipping down the table, in recent weeks, it is a fixture Sam Allardyce will be looking to take three points from, although the opposition boss, Paul Lambert, may have other ideas.
Vital Quotes:
Ahead of the clash, Sam Allardyce has come out with a quote relating entertainment value, commenting,
“Crowds in todays` society want to have something to cheer about.”
“If they are dissatisfied with what they see, they voice their opinion. We`ve entertained the fans and not won.”
“Fans will show their disapproval if we continue to do that but we haven`t had much disapproval over playing very well apart from the Stoke game.”
That`s because us Hammers fans get behind the side come what may!
West Ham Team News:
Sam Allardyce will be ruing the latest injury list he`s been confronted with. The past week has seen Matthew Taylor and Mladen Petric join the casualty list. There`s also the small problem of Carlton Cole still not being match-fit.
Player to watch: Ravel Morrison
Needs to continue the vein of form he`s currently in, this fixture should be a decent test for the youngster.
Aston Viilla Team News:
On the injury front, Paul Lambert will have to do without the services of Antonio Luna and Joe Bennett. The former has a hamstring problem and the latter has a back injury.
More significantly, Aston Villa will be without Gabriel Agbonlahor who has an ankle knock.
Player to watch: Christian Benteke
If we can keep the Belgian striker shackled, half the battle will be won!
Match Facts & Stats
West Ham enter this fixture struggling at home. We`ve lost our last three and will be hoping that they don`t suffer a fourth consecutive loss, something that hasn`t happened since 2005-2006.
There`s also the small matter of not having ever lost four out of our first five top-flight fixtures to contend with!
Ref Watch:
Howard Webb will officiate in this fixture ably assisted by D. Cann and D. Massey as his assistants with K. Hill fulfilling the duties of the fourth official.
Match Prediction:
Aston Villa are a more organized side this season and Paul Lambert looks to be turning things around at Villa Park. Can West Ham see a turnaround in their home form in this one? Our injury problems will hamper us but I reckon we can scrape a narrow win.
Next Fixtures:
Our next match will see us travel to Norfolk to take on Norwich next Saturday evening.
