Preview: Aston Villa vs. West Ham
Posted by disappointmentzone on 8 September 2006
This is the first of two previews that’ll be posted today (OSU vs. Texas is the other). Once again, Soccer Spot is here for all your EPL needs.
Sunday’s only match in the EPL is between the third place and sixth place teams. The Hammers sit on four points while Villa has seven after both have played three games. The big story of this match will certainly be the arrival of Argentine superstars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. While Tevez is questionable for the start with fitness issues, Mascherano is almost certain to get his debut.
[In case you missed it, both arrived for undisclosed fees from Copa Libertadores runners-up Corinthians of São Paulo just before the international break. There are rumors being circulated about the
transfers being part of a takeover deal by Iranian financier Kia Joorabchian, the head of Media Sports
Investment (MSI), the group that owns Corinthians. The interesting part about this rumor is, mainly, that there are possible ties to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who is reportedly behind the entire
MSI operation. Unlikely, but it certainly adds a bit of intrigue and rampant British tabloid speculation to an already interesting transfer.]
Villa also have a debutant: Stillian Petrov, the Bulgarian international captain. Bought from Celtic, the player only linked up with the rest of the squad today (Friday, September 08) having previously been playing in Euro2008 qualifiers. Petrov is expected to start and should improve the defensive midfield. During the Bulgarian game against Romania he rarely ventured forward beyond the midfield circle, but looked solid as a holding midfielder, occasionally shadowing Adrian Mutu, but mostly sticking to the center of the field.
Also a big impact on the Villa side could be the return of Czech international striker Milan Baros, who has been out with a foot injury up until now. He probably won’t start, but could make an appearance as a substitute. Baros’ return should help to solve the slight striker dilemma that Villa have been facing (though with 2 wins and a draw to start the season, perhaps “dilemma” is too strong of a word). It remains to be seen whether or not the defense can hold against the new Hammer imports, but so far so good since the defense has only allowed 2 goals in three games.
West Ham will also be without defender John Pantsil (knee) and keeper Roy Carroll (groin), meaning the defense will not be up to full strength, though backup keeper Robert Green is a solid replacement. This should make for a tighter game with more opportunities for Villa, but it’s an away game so a draw is probably what one should hope for rather than a win. My guess: 1-1 draw.
