Aston Villa suffer injury blow ahead of clash v West Ham – report
Aston Villa midfielder Ross Barkley is set to miss his side’s trip to the London Stadium next Monday to face West Ham.
The attacking midfield player picked up a hamstring injury during Villa’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
According to the Express and Star, the injury is not too serious, but he is still expected to miss Villa’s next two games, the first of which is their trip to East London.
Barkley has impressed since arriving from Chelsea on loan over the summer, scoring two goals and providing one assist in six appearances for the club (via WhoScored).
Alongside Jack Grealish, the England men have formed a rather dangerous partnership, with striker Ollie Watkins also impressing with six goals and one assist in the league so far.
On West Ham’s side, Michail Antonio should be fit to return on Monday, after the club decided not to risk him against Sheffield United (via football.london).
Their only other concern is Andriy Yarmolenko following a positive COVID-19 test, and he will miss out once again.
The absence of Barkley will certainly make this an easier match up for the Hammers, who can move ahead of Villa with a win. Dean Smith’s side are currently one point ahead of West Ham on 15, but have lost three of their last four league matches.
Meanwhile, David Moyes’s side, have lost just once in their last seven Premier League fixtures. The switch to a 3-4-3 formation has helped them shore up their defence, with only Tottenham Hotspur having conceded fewer goals so far this season (via WhoScored).
With Antonio back, the only big selection decision for Moyes to make is whether to drop Sebastien Haller, or leave the Englishman on the bench in the hope that he can be an impact substitute. Haller was much improved against Sheffield United, scoring the winning goal and putting in an aerially dominant performance, winning 12 duels in the air (via WhoScored).
He was also far more involved in the build-up and chance creation, generating 1.4 expected goals plus assists across the 90 minutes (via FBRef). If he can play like this against Villa, they will find it tough to handle him.
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