By Opta Analyst | Created at 2025-01-08 19:39:01 | Updated at 2025-01-09 10:16:16
14 hours ago
We look ahead to Friday’s FA Cup third-round clash with our Aston Villa vs West Ham prediction and preview. Will the Hammers perform in their first game since Julen Lopetegui’s dismissal?
Aston Villa vs West Ham Stats: The Key Insights
- Aston Villa triumphed in 90 minutes in 54.7% of pre-match simulations by the Opta supercomputer.
- Villa have lost each of their last six home games in the competition.
- West Ham could lose two consecutive matches against Villa in all competitions for the first time since conceding a league double in 2010-11.
West Ham begin life without Julen Lopetegui when they visit Aston Villa in the FA Cup under the lights on Friday night.
Lopetegui was dismissed on Wednesday after just six months in charge at West Ham. The former Wolves boss only won seven games across all competitions, suffering 10 defeats and drawing the other five matches this season.
That run of form has left them 14th in the Premier League table, though West Ham – who reportedly want to bring in Graham Potter – will hope to bounce back in Friday’s third-round clash at Villa Park.
West Ham – then managed by David Moyes – were eliminated at this stage in the FA Cup last season by Championship side Bristol City. However, they haven’t exited in the third round of the competition in consecutive campaigns since a run of three eliminations between 2011-12 and 2013-14.
Niclas Füllkrug scored West Ham’s only goal in their last outing, a 4-1 thrashing by Manchester City, and will likely start again on Friday due to longer-term absences for Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio. Lukasz Fabianski could return after waiting to fulfil Premier League protocols for his head injury, while Jean-Clair Todibo and Emerson will be assessed ahead of the trip to Villa Park.
West Ham may take some comfort from the fact that Villa have lost their last six home clashes in the FA Cup. Excluding non-league sides, only Rotherham United have ever lost more in a row on their own turf in the competition’s history (7 between 2002 and 2008).
Unai Emery’s side have fared slightly better in their top-flight campaign, sitting eighth after Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey scored in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Leicester City. Villa will be expected to rotate their side here, too, owing to Premier League and UEFA Champions League commitments.
Pau Torres, Jaden Philogene and Diego Carlos are all out injured, with Jhon Durán suspended, though Morgan Rogers could feature after serving his one-match ban for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Regardless of the side Emery selects, Villa will be hopeful of reaching the FA Cup fourth round in consecutive campaigns for the first time since doing so in 2014-15 and 2015-16. They beat Championship side Middlesbrough at this stage last season, ending a seven-game run of consecutive defeats in the third round of the competition.
Aston Villa vs West Ham Head-to-Head
Villa beat West Ham 2-1 in the Premier League in August thanks to Durán’s late winner after Lucas Paquetá’s penalty had cancelled out Amadou Onana’s early opener.
However, Emery’s side have not won consecutive meetings against Friday’s opponents in all competitions since completing the league double over them in 2010-11.
These two sides have not met in the FA Cup since March 1980, with West Ham triumphing 1-0 in a quarter-final tie on their way to winning the entire competition.
Aston Villa vs West Ham Prediction
The Opta supercomputer backed a home win on Friday night as Villa triumphed across 90 minutes in a convincing 54.7% of 10,000 pre-match simulations.
West Ham managed an unlikely away win in 23.3%, with the draw rated at 22%.
Opta Power Rankings
The Opta Power Rankings are a global team ranking system. They assign an ability score to over 13,000 domestic football teams. This score is on a scale between zero and 100, where zero is the worst-ranked team in the world and 100 is the best team in the world.
Ahead of kick-off this weekend, here is the Opta Power Ranking for both sides.
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