Premier League: West Ham vs Aston Villa Odds, Preview, and Picks (Aug 17)

• West Ham have spent big over the summer in the hope of breaking back into Europe
• Aston Villa secured a Champions League place last term

West Ham have spent big over the summer in the hope of breaking back into the European places under Julen Lopetegui this season. Aston Villa will be the first visitors to the London Stadium in 2024-25 on Saturday.

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How To Watch

• When: Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 12:30 PM ET
• Where: London Stadium, London, England
• How To Watch: NBC

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Odds

Match Result	Odds
West Ham	+150
Draw	+260
Aston Villa	+170

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Match Preview

The 2023-24 campaign was a famous one for Aston Villa, as the club secured a long-awaited return to the Champions League. However, building on that promise will be the big challenge for Unai Emery this term. West Ham start a new era at the London Stadium this weekend, with Julen Lopetegui tasked with filling the David Moyes-sized shoes.

The Hammers boast a very healthy record against the Villa after losing just once in their last 12 league matches against their rivals. Their only defeat was a 4-1 loss at Villa Park last term. Meanwhile, the West Midlands side are winless in their last nine visits to West Ham since April 2011.

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Signing No8 of the Summer ✍️ pic.twitter.com/2Xfq4svPZc

— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 14, 2024

West Ham’s record on the opening day of the season is poor when they have clashed with a team that finished the previous campaign in the top four places. The Hammers have lost five of their last six, with their only victory coming away from home against Arsenal at the start of the 2015-16 season. Meanwhile, the Hammers have won their opening match in just one of the last eight seasons.

That trend could be easy to overlook this weekend, as the Villa have also struggled on the opening weekend. Villa have suffered defeats in their last three opening matches in the Premier League, conceding ten goals across these fixtures. They were also beaten 1-0 on the previous occasion when they opened the season against West Ham in 2012-13.

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West Ham vs Aston Villa Picks

I’m pretty excited to see how West Ham fare this weekend after spending big throughout the summer. We could see them putting down an early marker at the London Stadium by upsetting last season’s surprise package.

Free Pick:

• West Ham