West Ham and Aston Villa will complete Saturday’s Premier League schedule with their Matchday No 1 fixture at London Stadium.
Both teams finished the last season in the top half of the standings and we should be in for a thrilling encounter in the capital.
It will be very interesting to see how Aston Villa will react after securing the top-four finish last year and a Champions League qualification.
They did not shine in the pre-season, losing four of the last five games. The latest defeat came at the hands of Borussia Dortmund, 0-2 last weekend on German soil.
West Ham came 9th last year in a hot-and-cold campaign packed with ups and downs. They will enter the new season with Julen Lopetegui as the new manager and Niclas Fullkrug as the new striker.
The problems may appear at the back as the Hammers shipped eight goals in the last three exhibitions against Wolves, Crystal Palace, and Celta Vigo.
West Ham vs Aston Villa Prediction
Tradition favours the hosts who own an excellent record against Villa in the matches played in London.
The Hammers have 24 wins, 21 draws, and only 8 defeats in the previous 53 home affairs against the Lions.
West Ham also produced a decent performance in a 2-2 draw to Celta Vigo seven days ago. Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta combined for both goals, delivering a goal and an assist each on the occasion.
