Both beginning their latest FA Cup quest in this season's third round, Premier League sides Aston Villa and West Ham United will fight for victory at Villa Park on Friday evening.
The first meeting between the two claret-and-blue clubs in England's national cup since 1980 - when West Ham went on to claim glory in the final - comes with the Hammers in turmoil, both off and on the pitch.
Match preview
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Extending their unbeaten run on home turf to 10 top-flight matches, Aston Villa edged out Leicester City last weekend, as Leon Bailey ended his long personal drought to score the hosts' winning goal in a 2-1 success.
Without putting on a stellar performance, victory improved the Villans' hopes of claiming a European place at the end of the season, taking them eighth in the Premier League table - close behind fellow challengers Bournemouth, Manchester City and Newcastle United.
Unai Emery's side had won just one of their final four fixtures of 2024, so starting the new year with maximum points will have boosted morale at the Birmingham club's Bodymoor Heath training complex.
Seven-time winners of the FA Cup, Villa now return to the famous knockout competition looking to improve a dismal run of results, having lost seven straight third-round ties between 2017 and 2023.
Last term, they finally ended that streak by beating Middlesbrough 1-0, but they have lost all of their last six home games in the cup; non-league teams excluded, only Rotherham United have ever suffered more consecutive home defeats throughout the competition's long history.
This time, Villa will tackle West Ham - who they defeated 2-1 in the league at the start of the season - while wearing an all-black 150th anniversary kit to celebrate a special landmark moment.
The sides are scheduled to meet again later this month in the Premier League, by which time the Hammers could be a very different proposition under new management.
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Emery's fellow Basque boss Julen Lopetegui endured an interminable wait to be put out of his misery, but the former West Ham head coach was finally sacked on Wednesday, following an unimpressive spell in east London.
The capital club had won just six league games during his tenure, with last Saturday's 4-1 defeat by Manchester City being their ninth loss in 20 top-flight matches this season.
Though the Hammers are still clear of relegation trouble - occupying 14th place in the table, seven points above the drop zone - back-to-back defeats for the loss of nine goals proved too much for the board to take.
After a 5-0 thumping by league leaders Liverpool, even ailing Manchester City were able to put four past Lopetegui's team in their year-opening fixture, meaning they have now lost by three or more goals on nine occasions.
Indeed, new manager Graham Potter inherits a side with the worst defensive record outside of the promoted sides this season, conceding goals at a rate of nearly two per game.
Eliminated from the FA Cup by Bristol City this time last year, West Ham have not suffered consecutive third-round exits since a run of three between 2012 and 2014 - but recent events suggest that few will fancy them to prevail on Friday.
Team News
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With injuries mounting up, Unai Emery is set to make changes to Aston Villa's starting XI - particularly facing a run of seven games in 22 days - so fringe players such as Emi Buendia and Ian Maatsen could be selected.
Morgan Rogers is now back from suspension, but captain John McGinn sustained a hamstring injury against Leicester, joining centre-backs Pau Torres and Diego Carlos on the sidelines.
Heavily linked with a move to West Ham last summer, Jhon Duran completes a three-match ban for violent conduct, so Ollie Watkins will lead the line up front.
The Hammers' attacking options are also limited by absences, as Jarrod Bowen recently fractured his foot and Michail Antonio is facing a long road to recovery from his car crash; therefore, Niclas Fullkrug should spearhead the visitors' attack.
Emerson Palmieri remains a doubt with the minor injury that saw him skip last week's Premier League defeat, while veteran goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is still ruled out by concussion.
It remains to be seen whether major changes will be made in West Ham's first game following the departure of Julen Lopetegui: Konstantinos Mavropanos, Guido Rodriguez and ex-Villa striker Danny Ings are all contenders for promotion from the bench.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Bogarde, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Barkley, Onana; Bailey, Buendia, Ramsey; Watkins
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Cresswell; Soucek, Rodriguez; Kudus, Paqueta, Summerville; Fullkrug
We say: Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham United
This competition represents both clubs' best chance of silverware; yet neither side is expected to make it a priority, so first-choice stars could be rested - and that makes the outcome more unpredictable.
Although Aston Villa's awful FA Cup record must count against them, West Ham are in disarray at the moment and are unlikely to knock their top-flight rivals out at Villa Park.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
