MX23RW : Wednesday, December 25 04:53:43| >> :120:32497:32497:

Preview: West Ham United vs. Aston Villa

West Ham kick off their season back in the top flight against Aston Villa, who begin a new era under manager Paul Lambert.

West Ham United begin their first season back in the top flight with a clash against Aston Villa at Upton Park tomorrow.

Hammers boss Sam Allardyce has a host of new signings to consider for the match, including goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, Alou Diarra, Mohamaed Diame and Modibo Maiga, who could all contest for a starting spot.

Jack Collison is expected to miss out on his side's opener due to a knee injury that was aggravated in pre-season, while skipper Kevin Nolan should be fit to lead his side out after overcoming a toe problem.

Meanwhile, all eyes will be on new Villa boss Paul Lambert, who could start new boys Karim El Ahmadi and Ron Vlaar but will have to deal with the club's early injury woes.

The Scottish boss has been forced to deal with the losses of Marc Albrighton, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Richard Dunne, who all face lengthy spells on the sidelines due to their respective injury problems.

Possible lineups:

West Ham: Jaaskelainen; Demel, Reid, Collins, O'Brien; Tomkins, Diame, Noble, Vaz Te; Maiga, Cole

Aston Villa: Given; Lichaj, Clark, Vlaar, Bannan; Ireland, El Ahmadi, Delph, N'Zogbia; Bent, Weimann

Sports Mole says: 1-1

ID:40594: cacheID:40594:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3210:
Written by
Danielle Joynson

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Sam Allardyce
Read Next:
Allardyce urges Olympic Stadium move
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!