Match Preview: Villa v West Ham

by Dek Hogan 

Who are we playing?
West Ham United on Saturday 9th May 2015

Where are we playing?
Villa Park

Can I go?
Cup fever means tickets are going quick so get in quick to bag your favourite spot.

Easy to get to?
Doddle.

Can I watch it on telly?
Sure you can watch on dodgy web streams and in some pubs but you really should get down the ground if you possibly can.

Big game?
Huge.

A glance at the league table will tell you just how vital the win over Everton was. Everyone is scrapping for their lives down there. Teams like Sunderland and Hull looked doomed if you looked at their fixture list, but they have managed to get points on the board in games we'd have expected them to crumble in.

There's often one team that drops like a stone towards the end of the season and this time around it's Newcastle. They are on a disastrous run but it's only now that we've inched ahead of them in the league table.

If we lose to West Ham, the whole thing starts to feel very uncomfortable again so it's vital that by hook or by crook, we bag all the points again.

Taking an early lead undoubtedly settled the nerves in the Everton match and there's no doubt this played a part in the crowd remaining postitive throughout the match.

Villa wouldn't be Villa unless our nerves were jangled though and Everton's late consolation goal ensured those edging towards the exits were stopped in their tracks.

West Ham briefly looked like a decent outfit when Andy Carroll came back from injury and far less of a threat since he got crocked again.

Typical West Ham fan

Tellingly, the Hammers haven't won an away match since early December.

Do West Ham have any famous fans?
Well there's the scruffy urchin that hijacked the election campaign Russel Brand, Ray Winstone who knows all about the pleasures of the in-play and Keira Knightley who does films.

We've got fiddle playing scruffbox Nigel Kennedy.

So we win.


Who's playing for us?
Tim has to ponder whether to persist with Shay Given, whose return to Premier League action wasn't what you'd call error-free, or recall Brad Guzan after his horror show at the Etihad.  Alan Hutton will be pushing for a place but it would tough on Bacuna to lose his berth in the team after his lovely pass made Cleverley's goal. The temptation must be to not change a winning team but we'll have to wait and see.

Who's playing for them?
All about the Reeces with youngsters Reece Burke and Reece Oxford looking to impress


Any useless stats?
Of course, here you go:

Halse

• West Ham have beaten us 39 times while we have 37 wins. There have been 31 draws.

• We haven't beaten West Ham at Villa Park  since August 2013. a Benteke penalty and a goal from Charlie N'Zogbia secured the points in a 2-1 win that day.

• In 1987, we thumped the Hammers 4-0 at Villa Park as we battled (ultimately unsuccessfully) relegation. Warren Aspinall got a brace and Simon Stainrod and Steve Hunt also got on the scoresheet.

• Our first ever meeting was in the FA Cup Second Round in 1913. We thumped them 5-0 that day, Harold Halse netting twice.

Prediction
Going for a 3-0 Villa win.