With the first international break of the season concluded, newly promoted Aston Villa and West Ham return to action against each other at Villa Park on Monday in the Premier League.
Dean Smith's side have only taken one win from their first four games back in the top flight, while the Hammers are looking to make it three victories on the trot after good results against Watford and Norwich City.
The Villans, who beat Everton for their only points of the year three weeks ago, know that a positive encounter against their visitors could help jumpstart their season, with the hosts hoping to avoid an immediate drop back to the Championship.
Game | Aston Villa vs West Ham |
Date | Monday, September 16 |
Time | 8:00pm BST / 3:00pm ET |
Stream (US) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
For UK readers, get your fix on the latest football on TV here! US readers can find out what soccer is on TV here!
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
US TV channel | Online stream |
---|---|
NBCSN | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the UK, the match will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, and available to stream on Sky Go.
UK TV channel | Online stream |
---|---|
Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League | Sky Go |
Squads & Team News
Position | Aston Villa squad |
---|---|
Goalkeepers | Heaton, Steer |
Defenders | Taylor, Konsa, Targett, Engels, Guilbert, Elmohamady, Hause, Mings, Chester |
Midfielders | Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Lansbury, Grealish, Hourihane, El Ghazi, Jota |
Forwards | Wesley, Davis |
Confirmed Aston Villa XI: Heaton; Guilbert, Engels, Mings, Taylor; Grealish, Nakamba, McGinn; Peleteiro, Wesley, El Ghazi
Position | West Ham squad |
---|---|
Goalkeepers | Fabianski, Roberto, Martin |
Defenders | Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Balbuena, Cardoso, Cresswell, Zabaleta, Johnson |
Midfielders | Noble, Rice, Yarmolenko, Lanzini, Anderson, Coventry, Wilshire, Sanchez, Snodgrass, Fornals, Holland |
Forwards | Haller, Ajeti |
Confirmed West Ham XI: Fabianski; Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Masuaku; Noble, Rice; Yarmolenko, Lazini, Felipe Anderson; Haller
Betting & Match Odds
Aston Villa can be backed at 13/8 to take the win with bet365. West Ham are meanwhile available at 6/4, while a draw is on offer at 13/5.
Match Preview
Following a fortnight away from the bright lights, Aston Villa and West Ham get back down to business as the Premier League picks back up following the latest round of international fixtures.
The Villans are looking for only their second league win of the season, to help ease the pressure and worries of a drop back to the Championship at the first time of asking, while the East London outfit are out to prove their own credentials once again this year.
Dean Smith's side in particular will hope to impress in front of their home fans, and recent England call-up Tyrone Mings could prove to be key at the back for them on Monday.
Mings, who was included in Gareth Southgate's most recent squad, joined the Villans on loan from Bournemouth where he linked up with Smith and assistant manager John Terry, the latter of whom played a similar position as the defender in his own days on the pitch.
As such, the ex-Cherries man has given good credit to the former Chelsea stalwart, saying that he has helped him improve since his arrival.
"John Terry has developed my game for sure," said the 26-year-old . "I've been fortunate to work with some really good coaches over the years – Mick McCarthy, Eddie Howe, Dean Smith.
"John Terry is just another great example of somebody I can learn from, who has been there and achieved everything I would want to achieve in the game.
"To learn from him and take little pieces of advice from him is something I feel really fortunate to be able to do."
As for the visitors, Manuel Pellegrini oversaw the addition of several new faces at London Stadium too, including striker Sebastien Haller, who followed fellow former Bundesliga star Andriy Yarmolenko to the Hammers.
The latter in particular reflected on how he has enjoyed life during his stay so far with the club, particularly after his unexpected exit from Borussia Dortmund a year ago.
“I didn't expect that I would leave Dortmund so quickly, but now I am very happy that I moved to England," he stated . "At West Ham, I'm happy.
“In England, [the atmosphere is] 100 per cent better. I like the British because we have a similar mentality in terms of humour and jokes. The main thing is to understand the league. Sometimes English humour is tough but in general it's fine.”