West Ham will look to revive their fortunes and resume a high-flying spell after a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool represented a dent in an otherwise impressive string of results so far this year.
The clash of the clarets sees the Irons travel to the Midlands, taking on Dean Smith’s Aston Villa in a six-pointer for both teams. With both teams regularly in and around the top half of the table, both will feel that three points could be crucial in the quest for European football next season.
The loss to Liverpool was the Hammers’ first defeat in 2021, having otherwise impressed for much of January.
Crucially, Villa are just three points behind West Ham in the table, and the Irons themselves could be leapfrogged by either Chelsea or Tottenham tomorrow night if they slip up here.
Some West Ham fans may have been frustrated to not see any new strikers arrive in the January transfer window, but Michail Antonio was cleared fit and ready to lead the line against the Villans. January loan signing Jesse Lingard is also tipped to make the squad to face Aston Villa, albeit likely as a substitute featuring off the bench as he is made to wait for his first Irons start.
With the Hammers keen to return to hammering opposition, here is Read West Ham’s predicted XI for tonight’s clash…
