West Ham United: Chris Sutton predicts result of Aston Villa showdown for BBC Sport
West Ham United will not be able to build on their impressive Europa League win over Freiburg when they face Aston Villa on Sunday 17 March, according to Chris Sutton.
The BBC Sport pundit believes David Moyes’ side will make it back-to-back defeats in the Premier League when they face Unai Emery’s Villans at the London Stadium, predicting that the away side will win 2-1.
Villa managed a European win themselves on Thursday against Ajax and Sutton believes that Emery’s side’s “quality” will see them claim all three points on Sunday and add to the pressure on Moyes’ shoulders.
Writing in his BBC Sport Premier League predictions (14 March) he said: “Both these teams were in action in Europe on Thursday, and it is going to be interesting to see how much those ties take out of them – but I still think Aston Villa will win this one.
“Villa have more quality than the Hammers, as they showed when they beat them 4-1 in October. Unai Emery’s side always create chances and, even in their 4-0 defeat against Tottenham last time out, if they had been more clinical then it would have been a very different game.”
Will West Ham United qualify for the Europa League again this season?
The Hammers eased some of the pressure on the manager’s shoulders with their exceptional win over Freiburg in the Europa League, but that won’t count for much if the Hammers are off the pace again against Villa.
While progression in Europe is nothing to be sniffed at, especially considering the fact the Irons have now qualified for the quarter-finals in three consecutive seasons, but the Premier League is ultimately what teams and managers are judged upon.
Aston Villa are an excellent side and under Emery, they have added a cutting edge to the game that has made them genuine contenders for the Champions League next season so it won’t be easy for West Ham.
But at their best, the Irons have shown that they can beat anyone they’ll face in the league this season. It would be a massive boost to Moyes and his side if they headed into the international break off the back of a big win.
In other West Ham news, Harry Redknapp has made a new admission about the Irons following his time at the Cheltenham Festival
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