Unai Emery has demanded consistency from his Aston Villa team as they welcome struggling West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday. (More Sports News)
Emery’s side suffered a 1-0 defeatꦺ on their trip to Monaco in the Champions League on Tuesday, but they are looking to go five games unbeaten in the English top flight, having held Arsenal to a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium last time out.
“Consistency is our objective, and we can improve on it, only facing each match and focusing on eacᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚh match,” said Emery, whose side sit eighth with 36 points heading into the weekend.
“If we are not winning Sunday, again, we are not being consistent at home. We lost in Monaco after two very good matche꧋s we played at 🧔Everton and Arsenal.”
Villa have strengthened their squad in the January t𒅌ransfer window, with 21-year-old full-back Andres Garcia joining from Levante while centre-back Diego Carlos has left 𝄹for Turkish side Fenerbahce.
“He is a ꦰright full-back with potential. He is a young player. He was progressing so quickly. Hopefully, we can progress quickly in his adaptation, and how he can understand everything in the Premier League about the level we have,” Emery said about the new signing.
The Spaniard also noted that Villa are open 🦋to further business during the window.
“We are open to trying to improve the squad until the last mo🔯ment, and as 🅺well, we are open in case someone is leaving,” he said.
“Of course we are also focusing on which players could have the potential to repꦬlace Carlos.”
Meanwhile, West Ham boss Graham Potter 𓆉is also on the search for firepower in attack, with Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug among those not available to their new manager.
"At this time of year there's a lot of speculation but we just have to ignore the noise, help the players and keep working," Pottꦚer said.
"If we're in a po🔜sition to do business, we'd like to. Our goalscoring in general is okay, but we'd like to do certain things better. We're a bit light but there are a lot of factors to con🎐sider."
The former Brighton boss, howe🍎ver, had good news to share when it came to Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville.
“Bowen has been integrating into the group. He's had a couple of sessions, but it's still early. It's imp🥃ortant we don't rush it. It's the same with Summerville. He’s had a couple of sessions,🐲 but we need to see,” he said.
“It's nice to have them back amongst it, but it's ⛎important we manage it👍 properly.”
West Ham🌜 have 26 points from 22 matches and are 10 points clear of 18th-placed Ipswich Town as they prepare for their first away league game under Potter, who replaced Julen Lopetegui🧸 earlier this month.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins
Watkins, who scored his 10th goal of the season to rescue a point at Arsenal last time around, has been involved in 99 Premier League goals in ꦚ168 appearances for Villa (69 goa🎉ls, 30 assists).
With a goal or assist against ꦅthe Hammers, he will become the fastest player to 100 goal involvements since Kevin De Bruyne in July 2020 (155th game) and the fastest Englishman since Harry Kane in November 2017 (128th game).
West Ham – Tomas Soucek
Soucek has scored a goal and created an assist in his last three Premier Leagu🌱e g💞ames, hitting the target to secure three points against Fulham at London Stadium on 14 January.
In total, the Czechia midfielder has scored five goals i♛n 20 league appearances this season - the same number as joint top scorer Bowen and one ahead of Lucas Paqueta.
MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN
Only Arsenal (14 matches) are on a longer home unbeaten run in the Premier League than Villa, who have won 10 matches in 🌱a row at Villa Park (W6 D4). They have only had three previous runs of 11-plus unbeaten games at their home.
They have not lost in the league in four matches since the turn of the new year, with a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United on 26 Decem🐷ber their most recent loss.
🐲Emery’s side have won two of their last three Premier League games against West Ham (D1), as many as they had in their previous 16 matches (D6 L8).
They will be looking to complete their first league double over West Ham since the 2010-11 season, having won 2-1 at the Lond🐭on Stadium on the opening weekend.
West Ham’s last away game was a 2-1 defeat to Villa in the FA Cup third🐼 round earlier thisꦡ month, with the Hammers losing 10 of their last 16 on the road (W3 D3).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Aston Villa – 58.6%
Draw – 21.5%
West Ham – 19.9%
