Aston Villa vs West Ham Betting Tips & Stats

Jarrod Bowen has been a reliable operator in the shot markets for several seasons now, and I’m backing him to register at least one effort on target against Aston Villa on Sunday.

The West Ham captain is averaging 2.18 shots per game in the Premier League this season, with 0.78 of those hitting the target. A closer look at Bowen’s underlying numbers shows he has produced multiple shots on target in three of his last nine Premier League appearances away from home. Across that nine-game stretch, the West Ham forward hit the target on multiple occasions against both Man United and Chelsea.

Now set to face an Aston Villa side who have lost each of their last three Premier League matches, Bowen looks well placed to work the goalkeeper again. The case is further strengthened by the fact that Villa rank among the top seven teams in the division for shots conceded this season. It’s also worth noting that Bowen hit the target in this season’s reverse fixture.

Matty Cash made a welcome return from injury as a substitute against Lille on Thursday night, and he is likely to be restored to the starting XI on Sunday, making him an appealing option to commit two or more fouls.

Cash’s appetite for a strong challenge has often landed him in trouble with referees in the Premier League this season, underlined by the fact he is committing an average of 1.38 fouls per game and has picked up seven yellow cards in the process.

Prior to his recent spell on the sidelines, Cash had committed multiple fouls in four of his last seven top-flight appearances, including each of the previous two. Even in a 16-minute substitute outing against Lille on Thursday night, Cash still managed to be penalised once.

Reports that West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville is set to return from injury this weekend only add to the appeal of this selection. The Dutchman has been in excellent form in recent months and regularly attracts close attention from his direct opponents, reflected in the fact he is drawing an average of 2.42 fouls per 90.

Amadou Onana has proven reliable when it comes to drawing fouls in recent weeks, and I expect that trend to continue against West Ham on Sunday.

The Aston Villa midfielder is earning his side an average of 1.41 free-kicks per game in the Premier League this season, but there has been a noticeable increase of late. In fact, across his last four Premier League appearances, Onana has been fouled a combined total of five times, winning his side multiple set-pieces in two of those matches.

It has been a similar story in the Europa League this term, with the Belgian being fouled on two or more occasions in three of his last six appearances, including Thursday night’s 2-0 win over Lille. Adding further weight to this selection is a potential midfield battle with Fernandes. The West Ham midfielder has overstepped the mark at least twice in five of his last seven top-flight outings, committing no fewer than five fouls against Man City last weekend.