Aston Villa play host to West Ham United on Wednesday evening with the opportunity to move level on points with their fifth-placed opponents in the Premier League standings.
Meanwhile, the Hammers make the trip to Birmingham looking for the victory which would keep the club in contention for the Champions League positions.
Match preview
© Reuters
Dean Smith would have been frustrated when Villa twice gave up a lead to eventually lose 3-2 at Burnley last week, a result which hit their hopes of ending the campaign in the top seven.
However, the West Midlands outfit battled their way to a 1-0 win at Southampton on Saturday night, leaving the club seven points off the top four with two matches in hand.
Smith would prefer to have more points on the board at this stage of the season, but optimism will remain high with many of the teams around them struggling for consistency.
Villa's home record has also improved in recent weeks, with seven points being collected from games against Burnley, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United.
That return will come under threat on Wednesday evening when going up against a West Ham side who have picked up four wins from six games on their travels.
David Moyes would have been disappointed with the defeat to Liverpool at the weekend, with all three goals coming in the second half.
Nevertheless, the Scot will be confident that losing out to the resurgent champions will only act as a minor blip, particularly with the added motivation of trying to stay in the top six.
West Ham have been reliant on a well-oiled backline for the majority of the campaign, but six strikes have been conceded in their most recent triple-header with West Bromwich Albion, Palace and Liverpool.
The Hammers prevailed by a 2-1 scoreline in the reverse fixture on November 30 courtesy of goals from Angelo Ogbonna and Jarrod Bowen.
Aston Villa Premier League form: DLLWLW
Aston Villa form (all competitions): LLLWLW
West Ham United Premier League form: DWWWWL
West Ham United form (all competitions): WWWWWL
Team News
© Reuters
Moyes must decide whether to hand a first start to Jesse Lingard after his loan move from Manchester United.
While the Scot will assess the fitness of Michail Antonio, the Hammers may line up with the same team which started against Liverpool.
Smith could take the same approach with his Villa XI having had an extra day to prepare for this fixture.
That would see Morgan Sanson remaining on the substitutes' bench as he awaits his first outing in a Villa shirt.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, McGinn; Traore, Barkley, Grealish; Watkins
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Coufal, Dawson, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Benrahma, Fornals; Antonio
We say: Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham United
Having performed well in defeat to Liverpool, West Ham are capable of getting back on track on Wednesday evening. However, Villa's extra quality in the final third could shine through over the 90 minutes, particularly with their opponents conscious of getting caught on the break if they push too hard for maximum points.
Top betting tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
