West Ham Predicted Lineup Vs Aston Villa for Opening Day Clash

West Ham play Aston Villa in their season opener on August 17, in the late kick-off. Julen Lopetegui will be hoping to kick off his Hammers tenure with three points. Here is our West Ham predicted lineup.

West Ham Predicted Lineup vs Aston Villa in Premier League Opener

How West Ham Have Lined-up Recently

Since Julen Lopetegui took the manager job at West Ham on the 1st of July, the former Real Madrid and Spain manager has made many signings to create a larger squad. Alphonse Areola is widely expected to retain his position in goal. Last season, the Hammers goalkeeper on average made the most saves per match, despite being a side who narrowly missed out on a UEFA Conference League place. Moreover, Areola was one of the best shot-stoppers last season in the league and had one of the highest save rate percentages.

However, the back line may look very different. This is due to the signing of Max Kilman, who used to play under Julen Lopetegui during their spell at Wolves in the second half of the 2022/23 season. In their last league match against Manchester City last season, West Ham played a 3-4-3. The back three was made up of Aaron Cresswell, Kurt Zouma and Konstantinos Mavropanos, however, the latter is the only mentioned defender who has not been forced out of the club.

That said, Zouma’s move to UAE club Shabab Al-Ahli is off due to a failed medical. Lopetegui opted to use a back four in the Hammers final pre-season match against Celta Vigo. This included Vladimír Coufal, Emerson, Mavropanos and new signing Kilman. This is widely expected to be the back four against Aston Villa.

Against Celta Vigo, Lopetegui opted to use three in the middle, with new signing Guido Rodriguez, Tomáš Souček and star man Lucas Paqueta. Rodríguez joins the Hammers from Real Betis on a two-year contract as a free transfer. Betis, where he spent four and a half seasons, finished seventh place last season.

In 2023/24, he played 29 matches in all competitions for the Seville-based club, with five of those appearances coming in the UEFA Europa League. Rodríguez played 173 games for the La Liga side, scoring nine times. The signing reunites him with Edson Álvarez, who played alongside him at Club América in Mexico’s Liga MX, where they won the league.

In their most recent match, Lopetegui opted for a front three. This includes Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Michael Antonio. Last season, Bowen (the new Hammers skipper) played 34 Premier League matches, scoring 16 goals and earning six assists. This averages to around Bowen gaining a goal contribution in every 1.54 matches.

Due to this, he can be seen as a significant player who may prove pivotal against Aston Villa. Kudus was also a revelation for West Ham last season, gaining 14 goal contributions in 33 Premier League matches. Moreover, Kudus was also pivotal in the UEFA Europa League, scoring five times in nine appearances for the then-UEFA Conference League holders. Antonio would not be expected to start with new signings such as Niclas Füllkrug, however, it is unknown whether the Hammers will look to ease him in first.

Hammers Recent Form

Despite the excitement of the new season and new manager, the Hammers haven’t had a perfect pre-season. Their first game under Lopetegui was a 2-2 draw away to Hungarian club Ferencvaros. The Hammers came back from two goals, thanks to goals from Danny Ings and Nayef Aguerd. They were the better team in the second half. Their next game in pre-season was a 1-0 win away to local National League side Dagenham and Redbridge.

The Hammers then headed to the United States. Their first game was against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the former club of Kilman and Lopetegui, with the latter being despised by the Wolves fanbase due to his premature exit three games before the start of last season. Cunha opened the scoring for Wolves with Kudus replying shortly after.

Albeit, two goals from Gomes sealed the win late in the second half. The Hammers also fell to a 3-1 loss to high-flying Crystal Palace, going behind to a Tyrick Mitchell goal in the first minute before Antonio replied. Their final pre-season match came up against Celta Vigo in the Betway Cup, where they won on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

Injuries for Lopetegui to Consider

The only player currently injured for the Hammers is Edson Alvarez. The Mexican midfielder is ruled out with a thigh Injury. There is currently no scheduled return date, but it is expected he will return to action soon. New signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka also has a knock.

It is also unknown whether Lopetegui will start the new signings immediately, as it was very typical for former manager David Moyes to ease new signings in.