MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 17:06:38| >> :60:2217:2217:

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:

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
6pm
Vikings
@
Bears
6pm
Lions
@
Colts
6pm
Patriots
@
Dolphins
6pm
Buccaneers
@
Giants
6pm
Chiefs
@
Panthers
6pm
Titans
@
Texans
6pm
Cowboys
@
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton121110924-154


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!