The Premier League Round 16 match between West Ham and Aston Villa will take place on December 14 at the London Stadium. West Ham vs Aston Villa: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
West Ham
The Hammers drew 1-1 away at Brighton in the last round. As a result, Nuno Espírito Santo's side extended their winless run in the league to four matches (3 draws, 1 defeat). The club has also failed to keep a clean sheet in 12 consecutive Premier League games this season; only Wolverhampton have gone without a shutout more often. In the table, West Ham sit 18th.
- The team have scored no more than one goal in 9 of their last 12 Premier League matches.
- At home, the Londoners have lost 6 of their last 8 Premier League fixtures (2 wins).
- In 7 of the last 8 home league games this season West Ham have conceded at least two goals.
Probable West Ham lineup (3-4-3)*
Alphonse Areola – Konstantinos Mavropanos, Jean-Clair Todibo, Aaron Wan-Bissaka – El-Hadji Malick Diouf, Max Kilman, Lucas Paquetá, Guido Rodríguez – Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen, Matheus Fernandes.
Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and midfielder Oliver Skarles are sidelined through injury.
Aston Villa
Villa stunned the league leaders in the last round, defeating Arsenal. The victory was the club's fifth in a row in the Premier League, and in just one of those fixtures did Unai Emery's side score fewer than two goals. Despite this run, seven teams have scored more than Villa (22), but Aston Villa remain third in the table. The club are in excellent form: nine wins in 10 league matches repeat a sequence not seen since 1919.
- Both halves produced at least one goal in 5 of Villa's last 6 league matches.
- On the road, the team are unbeaten in 5 of their last 6 Premier League matches (3 wins, 2 draws).
- The club have conceded in each of their last 5 away league games.
Probable Aston Villa lineup (4-5-1)*
Emiliano Martinez – Ezri Konsa, Jan Matsen, Matty Cash, Pau Torres – Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans – Ollie Watkins.
Defender Tyrone Mings and midfielder Ross Barkley are out injured.
Referee
Anthony Taylor (England)
Matches – 12 (Premier League, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 44;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.7;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 20;
Penalties – 17%.
Prediction for West Ham vs Aston Villa
West Ham arrive in inconsistent form, unbeaten in 5 of their last 6 league matches (2 wins, 3 draws), but face a significant test against Aston Villa. The visitors are the league's form side over the last 10 matches, winning nine of those fixtures and most recently beating Arsenal, a team widely regarded as title contenders. By contrast, West Ham have claimed just two wins in their last 12 home league games (3 draws, 7 defeats).
Aston Villa's attack, which started the season modestly, has hit top form. They managed two goals against Arsenal, a side with the league's most reliable defence, marking the fourth time Villa have reached that level in five league games. I expect Unai Emery's side to find ways through West Ham's back line, despite the hosts having kept just one clean sheet at home in the current calendar year. West Ham have conceded 17 goals in seven home games this season.
My prediction: Aston Villa to avoid defeat and Over 1.5 goals
* For each team, the starting XI shown is from their previous match in this competition.
