Aston Villa and West Ham United are both looking to remain near the top of the English Premier League table when the teams square off Sunday at Villa Park. Both teams hope to be in the running for European competition at the end of the season. The Villans (5-1-2) entered Matchweek 9 four points behind Premier League leader Tottenham, and West Ham (4-2-2) are two points further back. The four losses between these opponents have all come against elite teams. Both sides lost at Anfield to Liverpool. The Hammers also lost at home to reigning league champions Man City while Villa lost at Newcastle, the fourth-place finisher last season.
Kickoff is set for 11:30 a.m. ET. The Villans are -114 favorites (risk $114 to win $100) in the latest Aston Villa vs. West Ham United odds, while the Hammers are +285 underdogs. A draw is priced at +270 and the over/under for total goals scored is 2.5. Before locking in any Aston Villa vs. West Ham United picks, you need to see what proven SportsLine soccer insider Jon "Buckets" Eimer has to say.
Eimer is a high-volume bettor who has vast knowledge of leagues and players across the globe. Since joining SportsLine, he has covered the English Premier League, Serie A, the FA Cup and much more. Since the end of last year's World Cup, Eimer has been red-hot on English Premier League picks, going 68-37-5 for a profit of almost $3,600 for $100 bettors. Overall, he is 202-187-10 (+25.99) on soccer picks over that span. Anyone following him is way up.
Now, Eimer has broken down Aston Villa vs. West Ham from every angle and just revealed his picks and EPL predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see Eimer's picks. Here are the betting lines and trends for West Ham vs. Aston Villa:
- Villa vs. West Ham spread: Villa -0.5 (-115)
- Villa vs. West Ham over/under: 2.5 goals
- Villa vs. West Ham money line: Villa -114, West Ham +285, Draw +270
- AVL: Have 31 goals in 13 matches in all competitions.
- WHU: Have scored 21 goals in their 11 official games.
- Aston Villa vs. West Ham picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back Aston Villa
The Villans are on a 10-match home win streak and have scored in every match at Villa Park since mid-October last year, a span of 21 games. They entered the weekend ranked third in goals this season, scoring 19 while conceding 12, and have scored at least once in eight straight games. Only two of their goals allowed came at Villa Park, where they have a 13-2 goal advantage. Villa are 3-0-0 in home matches, while West Ham are 2-1-1 with seven goals scored and six conceded on the road.
Manager Unai Emery has taken an attack-focused approach, and the players should be fresh after facing a frantic period before the break. Ollie Watkins remains one of the go-to guys and leads the team in goals and assists, with four of each. Moussa Diaby, 24, can be even more dangerous. He has two goals and three assists so far after scoring 22 over the past two seasons at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. Leon Bailey (two goals) and Luis Diaz (three) add to the threat. See which team to pick here.
Why you should back West Ham
WHU have been the same at home and on the road. They have scored eight goals at home, but their record and goals conceded are identical. The Hammers have not lost to Villa since 2015, going 6-4-0 since then. West Ham have scored at least once in every league match. Jarrod Bowen (five goals), Michail Antonio (two) and James Ward-Prowse (two) are just a few of the Hammers attackers capable of scoring. Villa have 10 more shots on target than West Ham (45-35) through eight games.
The Hammers haven't lost in their past four matches in all competitions. Their past two were a 2-1 Europa League victory against Freiburg and a 2-2 draw with Newcastle. On the same day WHU battled to the stalemate with the Magpies, Villa played to a 1-1 draw with Wolves. That impressive draw and their dominance of the Villans should give them confidence, and David Moyes had plenty of time to draw up an effective plan. West Ham have scored 13 goals over the past six meetings. See which team to pick here.
How to make Aston Villa vs. West Ham picks
Eimer has broken down the Premier League match from every possible angle and is taking Over 2.5 goals as part of a combination play. He also has another confident pick on a goal-scorer and is offering a full breakdown of this matchup. He's sharing his Premier League picks and analysis only at SportsLine.
So who wins Aston Villa vs. West Ham United on Sunday, and where does all the betting value lie? Visit SportsLine now to see which wagers in West Ham vs. Aston Villa have all the value, all from the soccer expert who is up almost 26 units since last year's World Cup, and find out.
