West Ham vs Aston Villa prediction 17/08/2024 | EPL

• Date: 17/08/2024
• Competition: Premier League
• KO: 18:30 CEST
• Venue: London Stadium (London)

Premier League action returns to London Stadium on Saturday as West Ham take on Champions League qualifiers Aston Villa. 

West Ham vs Aston Villa Betting Tips - BTTS

Julen Lopetegui takes charge of his first competitive West Ham fixture on Saturday and an entertaining contest should be expected against the visiting Villains.

A failure to turn draws into wins was one of the biggest issues for the Hammers last season, with six of their last ten PL games at London Stadium finishing deadlocked. While West Ham lost only four of 18 home fixtures, a return of just seven victories proved disappointing for a side with European qualification aspirations. 

Goals are usually to be expected at this venue. BTTS occurred in seven of their last ten home contests. The Hammers failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last nine EPL games at London Stadium, while they were held to a 2:2 draw in their final warmup fixture against Celta Vigo last weekend. 

Aston Villa arrives in London having endured a tough pre-season campaign. Unai Emery´s side lost four of their last five matches, including a 4:1 defeat against Columbus Crew, and a 2:0 loss at Borussia Dortmund last weekend. 

Away from home, the Villains struggled to find much consistency both in recent results and last season. Emery´s men won eight but lost seven of 19 EPL matches on the road. 

Villa did pick up a 1:1 draw on their last visit to this venue in March, and a similar outcome seems likely this weeknd. Eight of the last nine meetings between these sides saw BTTS, including each of their last five contests in London.

While I can't pick a winner, BTTS looks like a likely outcome as the Premier League makes its return to East London this weekend.