Aston Villa and West Ham United are two teams that have a lot in common. They both wear claret and blue, are teams doing well in the Premier League and are competing in European soccer this season.
They are teams that are challenging the elite and so called 'big six' sides. With Villa in fifth place and West Ham in seventh in the division, they should have ambitions of qualifying for the Champions League.
We go into this fixture on the back of an international break that was mixed for the players who were called up to their respective countries. From an England perspective, Villa's Ollie Watkins scored the winner in a friendly against Australia. This was also a match where West Ham's Jarrod Bowen also featured.
A surprise was seeing James Ward-Prowse not selected by Gareth Southgate. This will mean that the midfielder will be playing with a point to prove in the upcoming matches.
We also saw Nicolo Zaniolo who is on loan at Aston Villa from Galatasaray sent home from the Italy camp as he is being investigated for betting allegations. It will be interesting to see where Zaniolo's head is at if he is to play against the Hammers this weekend.
A lot of credit must go to the two managers, Unai Emery and David Moyes. Emery has really turned around Villa's fortunes since taking over from Steven Gerrard last season. As for Moyes, West Ham struggled in the league in the last campaign but the Europa Conference League victory showed his class as a coach.
This weekend's tie may not get the attention that bigger teams might get but it could be one of the games of the weekend.
How to watch Aston Villa vs. West Ham in the Premier League
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 22
- Start Time: 11:30 ET
- Location: Birmingham, England
- Stadium: Villa Park
- TV info: NBC
- Live Stream: NBC
Supportes can watch this Premier League fixture on NBC.
