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Aston Villa host West Ham United on Sunday with both teams eager to kickstart their season after a sloppy first few weeks.
STREAM LIVE ASTON VILLA v WEST HAM
Steven Gerrard has been a little prickly about his Villa side as they lost at Crystal Palace last time out and despite their narrow home win against Everton in Matchweek 2, they’ve lost two of their opening three games of the season and a serious injury to summer signing Diego Carlos has impacted Villa too. Villa need a good run of results to build some positive vibes.
West Ham have lost their opening three Premier League games without scoring a goal, as they sit bottom of the table. However, David Moyes’ side have advanced to the Europa Conference League group stage after going through the playoffs and they can now focus fully on kickstarting their Premier League campaign. With the Hammers also set to spend big in the final days of the transfer window, it feels a little too early to say whether or not the east London club will take a step back this season.
[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]
Here’s everything you need to know for Aston Villa vs West Ham.
How to watch Aston Villa vs West Ham live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 9am ET, Sunday
TV Channel: USA Network
Online: Stream via NBCSports.com
Key storylines
Gerrard isn’t shy in sharing his opinion and he’s not happy with what he’s seeing from his Aston Villa side so far this season. After spending big over the last few transfer windows, this is a squad which should be pushing for a top 10 finish, and probably more. Instead, defensive mistakes continue to cost Villa dear and that is angering Gerrard. They had a big win at Bolton in the League Cup in midweek so that could get their confidence flowing.
For the Hammers, they need a win quickly to stop any fears about this season becoming a bigger problem than it probably is. Moyes’ side have been sensational over the last two seasons and there’s no concern about them getting sucked into a relegation battle. That said, if they can’t snap out of this early-season malaise then their hopes of qualifying for Europe for a third-straight campaign could soon be a pipe dream.
In-form players to keep an eye on
Ollie Watkins is looking really sharp early in the season and he’s scored in his last two PL outings as his partnership with Danny Ings is developing nicely as the duo dovetail well. Boubacar Kamara also looks like a really good addition in central midfield.
West Ham’s Declan Rice continues to dominate in midfield, while the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio are working as hard as ever but they just haven’t had any luck in the final third so far this season.
Aston Villa team news, injuries, lineup options
Ludwig Augustinsson is back after a knee injury, which gives Gerrard extra defensive options. Due to Diego Carlos’ injury he will likely start with Mings and Konsa at center back again.
West Ham team news, injuries, lineup options
Nayef Aguerd, West Ham’s marquee defensive signing of the summer, is ruled out for a few months after suffering an ankle injury in preseason. Craig Dawson is closing in on a return after his thigh injury, while Vladimir Coufal is fit after a clash of heads against Brighton last time out.
Aston Villa vs West Ham: How to watch live, stream link, team news originally appeared on NBCSports.com
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