Back this 9/4 Aston Villa vs West Ham single

Aston Villa continue their hunt for Champions League football when they welcome a stuttering West Ham side on Sunday afternoon.

Can the hosts return to winning ways after a disappointing result midweek? Odds Now's Brad Walker (@brad_TWalker) takes a closer look.

Odds Now's Aston Villa vs West Ham best bet

These two will be familiar with each other, having last met at Villa Park earlier this month in the third-round of the FA Cup.

Villa ran out 2-1 winners that night to kickstart a five-match unbeaten run, but that has since come to an end following their 1-0 defeat to Monaco in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, focus remains on securing a spot in the competition for next season and Unai Emery's side are only four points off fourth heading into matchday 23 after battling to earn a 2-2 draw at Arsenal last weekend.

They face a West Ham side who are still struggling post Julen Lopetegui's departure.

In fact, replacement manager Graham Potter oversaw his first game in charge at Villa Park two weeks ago but won't have been convinced by the performances which followed.

West Ham did run out 3-2 winners against Fulham in his first league match, but were second-best for large portions and have some woeful defending on the part of the visitors to thank for the three points.

They've since suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace, leaving them with just one win in their last five.

Villa came out on top with a 2-1 win when these two met in the FA Cup earlier this month. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Back Aston Villa to repeat FA Cup heroics

Travelling to Villa can be a thankless task at the best of times, particularly when in need of a result to stem the rot from recent poor performances.

Emery's men boast the fourth-best home record in the league and have won six of their home matches in the league, losing only one.

Compare this with the away form of West Ham, who boast only the 12th-best away record and whose only win on the road in their last five came against bottom-placed Southampton.

The visitors may take a glimmer of hope from Villa's poor performance at the back, though.

Both teams have scored in 73% of league matches at Villa Park, while West Ham scored in nine out of 10 times on their travels.

So while the home win certainly appears likely, backing the away side to at least land a glove before ultimately coming up short looks to be an astute selection indeed.

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