Aston Villa vs West Ham United – Match preview and team news
Aston Villa vs West Ham United – Match preview and team news Aston Villa return to Villa Park on Sunday afternoon, aiming to arrest a domestic slump and protect their place in the top four as they face a resurgent, relegation-threatened West Ham United. The Villans enter this fixture in a precarious position, despite sitting fourth in the table. Unai Emery’s men have lost three consecutive Premier League games—as many as their previous 17 combined—and now face the prospect of a fourth straight defeat for the first time in Emery’s managerial career.
While Villa have flourished in Europe, reaching the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday, their domestic scoring has dried up; they have netted just 10 league goals so far in 2026, the lowest in the division. Notably, a win today would see Villa complete a league double over the Hammers for the first time since 2010-11—the season West Ham were last relegated. West Ham travel to Birmingham in a much healthier frame of mind, sitting level on points with safety and eyeing a climb out of the bottom three.
Under Nuno Espírito Santo, the Hammers have undergone a transformation, picking up 15 points from their last nine matches—one more than they managed in their first 21 games of the season. Despite their improvement, they face a historical hurdle: West Ham are winless in their last six league meetings with Villa. However, Nuno’s tactical preference for a low block could prove the perfect antidote to Emery’s high line, especially with Jarrod Bowen in clinical form.
Aston Villa vs West Ham United – Match preview and team news Date: Sunday, 22 March 2026 Kick-off: 14:15 GMT Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham Referee: Paul Tierney VAR: Stuart Attwell Last Meeting: West Ham 2–3 Aston Villa (14 Dec 2025, Premier League) Team News Aston Villa Unai Emery will assess Youri Tielemans ahead of kick-off after the Belgian returned to training following a two-month layoff. Matty Cash and Emiliano Buendía are both fit after featuring off the bench against Lille, while Ezri Konsa is expected to return to the starting line-up. Notably, Morgan Rogers has been Villa’s most impactful scorer this term; all eight of his league goals have either put Villa ahead or drawn them level.
Boubacar Kamara remains a long-term absentee. West Ham Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that star winger Crysencio Summerville is ruled out with a calf injury. However, Ollie Scarles is back in contention, and the rest of the squad is fully available.