Here we are, ‘Survival Sunday’, who would have thought before even just a couple of short games ago that it would come down to this?!
After beating Crystal Palace (2-0), drawing at Goodison Park (1-1) and victory over Arsenal (1-0) – it all comes down to the final game of the season. It is an archetypal “must win” football match. As a collective, we will likely spend 90 minutes pacing our living rooms, holding our breaths and praying to the footballing Gods.
We simply must win this game of football. By any means.
You can easily lose yourself in the myriad of permutations, so The Villa Underground has compiled all of the key facts and stats below.
KEY FACTS & STATS
- Villa have to better the results of both Watford and Bournemouth to stay up.
- If Villa beat West Ham, it will be a third win in four games.
- If Watford win (at Arsenal) and Villa beat West Ham – survival will go down to goal difference.
- West Ham are safe after good recent form – they drew their last game at Man Utd to secure PL status.
- David Moyes’ side have won three and not lost in their last six fixtures.
- But West Ham’s draw made it 26 points thrown away from winning positions. Added, they’d be 3rd.
- Villa have been in good recent form, beating The Gunners 1-0 at Villa Park.
- Hammers Ones To Watch: Michail Antonio is a threat and Thomas Soucek has been dominant.
- Antonio is the one to keep quiet, he’s found the net eight times since the PL restart.
- Villa winger Mahmoud Trezeguet has three goals in his last 3 appearance.
- Ahmed Elmohamady is out with a hamstring injury, but Neil Taylor is fit after training this week.
- Villa have picked up more points in the last 3 games than the last 13 combined.
- Similarly, West Ham have taken more points from their last 6 games than the previous 17.
- However, Dean Smith hasn’t won with Villa on the road in the last 9 attempts.
- Villa go into the game with just one win in the last 16 away from Villa Park.
- Villa’s last clean sheet away from home was January 2016.
- However only Norwich and Southampton have lost at home more times than WH this season.
- If The Hammers lose, it would be a club record ten home defeats in a season.
- Villa haven’t beaten West Ham in the last 4 attempts – we’ve not scored on each occasion.
- Despite a recent upturn in defensive capability, we still have the 2nd worst goals against.
- Villa have conceded 23 goals in the last 30 minutes of away games. 7 more than any other side.
- Villa’s final day record: No wins in 8, including 6 defeats. Time to change that one!
- If Villa secure victory it will be 4 unbeaten, our longest stretch this season.
- All 3 relegation threatened teams are away from home on the final day.
- Villa, Watford and Bournemouth have taken just 10 points from 18 away games.
- West Ham Form Guide: WDLWWD
- Aston Villa Form Guide: LLLWDW
- West Ham Predicted Starting XI: Fabianski; Johnson, Diop, Ogbonna, Masuaku; Rice, Soucek; Yarmolenko, Noble, Fornals; Antonio
- Aston Villa Predicted Starting XI: Reina; Guilbert, Konsa, Mings, Targett; McGinn, Luiz, Hourihane; Trezeguet, Samatta, Grealish
- Villa will be stay up if we draw and Watford don’t win.
- Villa are safe if we win by the same or a better margin than The Hornets.
- If Villa beat West Ham, Watford need to beat our result by two goals to avoid the drop.
- Bournemouth can stay up is if they win and Villa and Watford both lose.
- If all three teams lose by the same margin, Villa will be stay up.
West Ham v Aston Villa – Full Match Preview & Confirmed Villa Team News [Available 1 Hour Before Kick Off]
Sources: NBC Sports, Sports Mole, Sky Sports, BBC, Birmingham Live.
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