West Ham United’s quest to secure Premier League survival continues away to top-four hopefuls Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.
Despite starting this round inside the bottom three, this could be a pivotal weekend for the Hammers’ bid to avoid the ignominy of dropping to the Championship for the first time since the 2011/12 season.
With their two nearest rivals, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, facing each other, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have a golden opportunity to enter the international break with a minimum two-point buffer to the relegation zone with a win here.
Three points at Villa Park are not an easy pick-up, yet West Ham’s resurgence, coupled with Villa’s recent slump, paints a promising picture for the visitors, as they hope to end their dreadful streak in this fixture.
Villa emerged 3-2 victors in December’s reverse showdown at London Stadium, condemning West Ham to a sixth consecutive Premier League meeting without a win (D3, L3).
As a result, the Lions could secure their first league double over the Irons since the 2010/11 season – ominously the last time West Ham suffered relegation from the top flight.
That’s a feat the visitors are desperate to avoid this time around, as they seek their first away win over Villa since August 2022, aiming to end a three-game winless run in the Midlands since (D1, L2).
Espirito Santo is likely to put West Ham’s fate into the hands of [standout winger Jarrod Bowen, who has received another England call-up](https://www.whufc.com/en/news/internationals-or-bowen-named-in-england-squad-for-march-friendlies) despite the Hammers’ underwhelming campaign.
Bowen is on a six-game scoring drought in the Premier League, yet he has registered four assists in his last five league appearances, as he now looks to add to his six-goal tally against Villa.
Villa cruised to a comfortable 2-0 home win over Lille in midweek Europa League action, reaching the quarter-finals under the most successful manager in competition history.
However, Villa’s recent domestic form has been anything but flashy.
Only last weekend, they suffered a 3-1 defeat at Manchester United, extending their losing streak in the Premier League to three matches, and are now at risk of losing four in a row for the first time since March 2022.
Emery has never lost four consecutive league games before in his entire managerial career, but the Lions’ poor run of just one win from their last five home league outings (D1, L3) suggests a piece of unwanted history could be around the corner.
Goals have been at a premium for the home side of late, as they’ve failed to score more than once in their last six domestic fixtures at Villa Park, giving West Ham another reason for optimism.
It’s been far from an impressive season for the Hammers, but they’ve hit their stride at a crucial juncture, losing just twice in the Premier League since mid-January (W4, D3) to pick up more points than they did in the opening 21 rounds.
Moreover, after only winning once in their first ten away league games this season (D4, L5), Espirito Santo’s charges have racked up three wins on their last five top-flight road trips (L2), most recently beating Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Unfortunately, standout forward Crysencio Summerville, who scored the winner in that London derby, has been on the sidelines with a calf injury since the FA Cup victory over Brentford.
That’s likely the only reason he has yet to earn his maiden Netherlands call-up, with the Dutch announcing their squad for the March friendlies on [X](https://x.com/OnsOranje/status/2034948669493903703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2034948669493903703%7Ctwgr%5Ec398b4d192704047f063134e63399451f5b03c53%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.westhamzone.com%2Fwest-ham%2Fwest-ham-injuries%2Fcrysencio-summerville-injury-concerns-linger-as-west-ham-star-misses-out-on-maiden-netherlands-call%2F) – one that does not include the former Leeds United winger.
Even without Summerville, West Ham will have to defy the odds, having failed to win a league game this season against sides starting this round in the top eight (D4, L8), a trend they must overturn this weekend.