West Ham have been training ahead of the huge game at Aston Villa and Nuno Espirito Santo has been handed a late selection headache by two of his strikers.
They are calling it survival Sunday as West Ham head to Aston Villa and Spurs take on Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
That piles the pressure on every decision West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo and the managers of his relegation rivals make.
Unai Emery is also under pressure to keep hot-and-cold Aston Villa in contention for a Champions League place.
Taty and Wilson give Nuno a West Ham headache for Villa clash
With the stakes agonisingly high, there is no room for making the wrong calls during the Premier League relegation run-in.
Now a West Ham striker duo have handed Nuno a late selection headache ahead of the Villa clash.
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A graphic showing the lineup that West Ham United should pick against Aston Villa in the Premier League on 19/03/2026.
Credit: GRV Media
West Ham know a win at Villa Park would guarantee they go into the two-week international break – and final seven games – outside the relegation zone.
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Because points will be dropped with the Hammers’ relegation rivals Tottenham welcoming Nottingham Forest to north London.
A win for Spurs would mean West Ham would also climb out of the bottom three with a draw.
Split image showing Pablo Felipe playing for West Ham and Taty Castellanos playing for West Ham
Credit: Rob Newell – CameraSport/Alex Pantling via Getty Images
If Leeds lose to Brentford on Saturday night then the Hammers could even pull level on points with the Elland Road outfit with victory over Aston Villa.
Nuno has been putting his players through their paces at the club’s Rush Green training ground before Sunday’s trip to the Midlands.
And it was something that happened towards the end of footage from that session which gives the Portuguese a major dilemma for the big game.
Chances may be at a premium for the Hammers against Aston Villa, just as they were in the clash with Man City where Konstantinos Mavropanos scored from West Ham’s only shot on target.
Superb West Ham training link-up suggests Pablo should be dropped
To a man the Irons grafted for that point against Pep Guardiola’s side.
But West Ham’s worst performer in the game was undoubtedly Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos.
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Callum Wilson of West Ham United reacts after a missed chance during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Bournemouth at London Stadium on February 21, 2026 in London, England.
The Argentine has been a hit due to his hard work and pressing. But he lacks the pace and strength to be a real goal threat in the Premier League.
Taty’s last few performances have been below par, leading to question marks over his place in the starting XI.
On the flip side, many Hammers fans have questioned why the best finisher at the club, Callum Wilson, is not being given more opportunities.
Callum Wilson reacts during West Ham's FA Cup game against Burton.
Photo by Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
But something which happened in a high intensity match at the end of training suggests the pair should be playing together up front vs Villa.
Pablo returned to the West Ham side for the draw with Man City last time out, playing with Taty.
That partnership has had mixed results in terms of goals and assists – but few in the Premier League will work harder.
Wilson offers unerring finishing prowess in and around the box.
Many Hammers fans want to see the former England man start given what is at stake and the fact chances may be few and far between at Villa Park.
And Nuno has been given a big decision to make after what he witnessed at the end of the session.
West Ham have released footage from an 11-a-side match-up in training and it shows Taty and Wilson combining brilliantly to score a wonderful goal.
The duo suddenly switched places to bamboozle their markers, the ball is clipped over the top to Taty, who lays it off with his chest into the path of Wilson.
The former West Ham bogeyman turned “bagsman” takes a touch before firing a superb half-volleyed finish past Mads Hermansen with the outside of his right foot.
West Ham’s players and staff are audibly wowed by the goal as Nuno watched on at close quarters.
Whether the outstanding link-up will be enough to see the manager swap Wilson in for Pablo to play alongside Taty remains to be seen.
But their combination on the training ground suggests it could be the way to go, with Pablo a great option to come on against a tiring defence in the second half once Wilson’s race is run.
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