Aston Villa vs West Ham Prediction 26 January 2025

🔊 Haven't we seen this somewhere recently? It seems familiar, doesn't it? To clear up any doubts - Aston Villa and West Ham have indeed crossed paths earlier this year. In the FA Cup match, the "Villans" emerged victorious (2:1), but will they replicate their success in the Premier League? It's quite likely, as bookmakers see them as solid favorites. We will consider this factor in our prediction, but we'll also try to touch on several other aspects to identify the optimal bet.

📊 Head-to-Head

Interestingly, the first meeting between the teams this season also ended with a 2:1 scoreline in favor of Unai Emery's team. Aston Villa can currently be recognized as the dominant side, having not lost to West Ham in their last five encounters.

🦁 Aston Villa

The team had a fantastic first half of January, winning all three matches, but then experienced a downturn. Of course, the draw with Arsenal (2:2) should be considered an achievement for the "Villans," especially since they came back from two goals down. However, the game against Monaco (0:1) in the Champions League wasn't as impressive. Unai Emery's protégés stumbled, losing their spot in the top-8. Their ticket to the Round of 16 will depend on the final group stage match against Celtic. But let's not forget about the Premier League, where eighth place is clearly not the limit of ambition for the "Lions." Among the injured players, Amadou Onana stands out. The Belgian scored in both meetings against West Ham this season but got injured in the game against the "Gunners."

⚒ West Ham

It turned out that Graham Potter is not a magician and cannot solve all of West Ham's problems with a snap of his fingers. Yes, there are certain improvements in the team's play, but it wasn't enough to defeat the in-form Crystal Palace (0:2). Considering the injuries to Michail Antonio and Niclas Füllkrug, the "Hammers" are in need of a new forward. They are seriously interested in Brian Brobbey and André Silva, but reinforcements won't arrive in time for the upcoming game. There are also issues in central defense - Todibo is injured, and Mavropanos received a red card in the match against the "Eagles." So, the visitors' lineup won't be optimal.

⚽️ Prediction on Goals

There's no need to hesitate much when choosing a bet on goals, as numerous trends point to both teams scoring. Both Teams to Score (Yes) - a bet that has won in 10 of the last 11 head-to-head meetings between the teams, as well as in 6 of Aston Villa's last 7 home matches.

🚩 Prediction on Corners

The "Villans" are one of the teams with the most corners in the league, especially impressive at home (averaging 8 corners per game). West Ham will likely be unable to take possession from the hosts and probably won't even try. So Emery's team should press on the "Hammers'" goal and compile their usual stats. We bet on over 5.5 corners from Aston Villa, which has come through in 9 of Aston Villa's last 10 home matches in the EPL.

📝 Match Prediction

The key factor when choosing a primary bet is that Aston Villa is playing in the Champions League. And typically, after intense midweek matches, they don't perform at their best in domestic competitions. The "Hammers," in our view, should capitalize on this and take points from Birmingham. They have consistently scored against the "Lions" for 11 consecutive matches now, so a final score of 1:1 seems quite realistic. We recommend betting on West Ham to win with a +1.5 handicap, as this bet has been successful in 11 of the last 12 head-to-head meetings between these teams.