West Ham United vs. Aston Villa – EPL, November 30, 2020

The final game of this round of fixtures in the EPL brings together two sides that have done better than many expected this season. West Ham and Aston Villa are both in the top half of the table and looking good for their progress.

The London Stadium has not always been a happy place to play for West Ham but there is a renewed confidence in the team this season.

This looks like being a very evenly balanced game between two sides playing very good soccer recently. The odds from the sportsbooks certainly reflect that thinking – and the game could go either way. The odds for a home win might be most attractive but the draw bet should probably be looked at too.

When Michail Antonio was ruled out through injury a few weeks ago it looked like West Ham would be in for a rough ride until the powerful striker returned. But last season’s big money signing has definitely stepped up. Sebastian Haller has changed allegiances to the Ivory Coast on the international stage and recovered his confidence in the process.

He scored for his country during the break and then followed that up with the winner against Sheffield United last weekend. Now that West Ham doesn’t have to rely on just one player to get the goals, it should allow the more creative members of the squad to make this team a tough side to play against.

Aston Villa has a few skillful players of its own, of course. But, even with a wealth of talent, it still seems to look to Jack Grealish for inspiration – and that is sometimes to its downfall. Ross Barkley has been unavailable recently and he provides another outlet to Villa’s attacks.

It has still been a very good season so far for Villa, but it has lost three of the last four – and conceded a lot of goals in the process. Head coach Dean Smith really needs to work out how to stop his defenders allowing other teams to score, as he can probably rely on his attacking players to do their jobs properly.

I’m actually surprised that the bookmakers are making West Ham favorite to win this one on Monday. But it just shows how much the team has improved in the last month or so. This should be a very good game to finish off match day ten in the EPL – and I think the Hammers will just sneak it.