West Ham United have already secured their safety, but Aston Villa still have plenty of work to do when the two teams meet at the London Stadium on Sunday.
The Hammers are four points clear of the bottom three, while Aston Villa are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference.
A win would be enough to see Villa remain in the Premier League for next season, but they could also lose and stay up if results elsewhere go their way.
Dean Smith’s side looked dead and buried after a ten-game winless run between February and July saw them stuck in the drop zone.
However, a three-game unbeaten streak has put the club on the brink of survival. After beating Crystal Palace, Villa draw with Everton before claiming a hugely impressive win over Arsenal last time out.
Despite seeing just 33% possession, Villa managed to limit Arsenal to no shots on target, while Trezeguet’s first-half goal earned Smith’s men vital 1-0 victory.
Seventeenth-place Aston Villa are now level with eighteenth-place Watford on 34 points, but the Villains find themselves outside of the bottom three thanks to a single goal.
Meanwhile, fifteenth-place West Ham are four points ahead of Villa. David Moyes’ side have returned from the lay-off on a mission, losing just one of their previous six games.
Recent victories over Chelsea, Norwich, and Watford boosted the club’s survival hopes, while a well-deserved draw with in-from Manchester United last time out booked their place in the top flight for next season.
Michail Antonio has been the star of the show for the Hammers, netting eight goals in his previous six appearances to fire his side to safety.
Head-to-head: The two teams played out a dull goalless draw in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, meaning they have now drawn four of their last seven meetings.
It’s also worth pointing out that each of their previous seven encounters have produced under 2.5 goals. Needless to say, this isn’t known for a being a high-scoring fixture.
Team news: West Ham manager David Moyes will be hoping that injury-doubts Aaron Cresswell, Jarrod Bowen, Ryan Fredericks, and Robert Snodgrass can all feature on Sunday.
Aston Villa are still without long-term absentees Wesley and Tom Heaton, while Neil Taylor, Ahmed El Mohamady, and Bjorn Engels are all in contention to make a return.
Villa have no choice but to throw everything at this game, but West Ham certainly won’t want to end the season with a defeat.
Forebet predicts that a low-scoring draw is on the cards here. But will it be enough to keep Villa up? Time will tell.
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