IT has been a mixed bag so far for Graham Potter since taking charge of West Ham United and he continues his bid to move them up the Premier League table with a tricky trip to Aston Villa.
Potter's first game after taking the reins from Julen Lopetegui also came at Villa Park and his side took the lead in an FA Cup tie before eventually losing 2-1 on a profitable night for Slips Tips.
Since then the former Brighton boss has presided over one win and one defeat in the Premier League, leaving the Hammers 10 points clear of the drop zone.
Potter will want a little bit more comfort and this could be a good time to face Aston Villa, with Unai Emery's side in the middle of two crunch Champions League matches.
They lost 1-0 at Monaco in midweek, with a fouls bet landing for Slips Tips, and that means Villa now need to beat Celtic at home in next week's final Euro group game to secure a last-16 slot.
Emery's troops might have one eye on that game but their recent league form has been decent, with two wins and two draws in their last four outings.
How the bookies view it: Villa are home free
Aston Villa's home form has been excellent this season, with only Arsenal beating them so far in the Premier League, although Crystal Palace also claimed a League Cup victory in the Midlands. So it's easy to see why BoyleSports make them 11/20 hot favourites, with West Ham 4/1 outsiders and the draw paying 3/1.
Recent head to head: Streak practice
Aston Villa's cup win a few weeks ago made it five games unbeaten for them in this fixture, with four of those games ending in wins. But West Ham had dominated before that, going nine without defeat.
Players to watch: Don of a new era?
Emery will probably freshen things up after that trip to Monaco and new signing Donyell Malen could be unleashed from the start. The former Dortmund striker had a decent scoring record in Germany and is 2/1 to mark his debut with a goal.
Potter's biggest problem right now is a lack of firepower, with Niclas Fullkrug, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio out injured. He has played midfielder Lucas Paqueta further forward and gone without a recognised striker so the Brazilian might be the best shout for a Hammers goal at 9/2.
Probable line-ups
Villa midfielder Amadou Onana was injured in the draw at Arsenal and joins John McGinn, Pau Torres and Ross Barkley on the sidelines. Stopper Diego Carlos has left to join Fenerbahce.
In addition to their three main strikers, West Ham also have winger Crysencio Summerville and defender Jean-Clair Todibo out. Stopper Konstantin Mavropanos is banned after his red card against Crystal Palace.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, Tielemans, Buendia, Kamara, Rogers, Malen, Duran.
West Ham United: Fabianski, Wan-Bissaka, Emerson, Scarles, Killman, Soler, Soucek, Alvarez, Kudus, Offord, Paqueta.
Anything else catch the eye?
Even though West Ham are lacking punch up front due to their injury absentees, they've still managed to score in three of their last four games, including in that cup tie with Villa.
Emery's men have also kept just one clean sheet in their last 10 outings so we should see goals at both ends. BTTS pays just 8/11 at BoyleSports but adding on over 2.5 goals boosts the odds to 23/20.
Only two yellow cards were flashed when these sides faced off a few weeks ago and neither manager is renowned for telling his players to put the boot in.
Under 4.5 cards pays 5/6 at Bet365, who also offer the same price if you bet against both sides picking up two or more cards. Combining those picks in a bet builder takes you to 11/10.
Corners are more likely after 13 were won in that cup tie, with nine of them going to Villa. Over 6.5 home corners pays 20/23 with BoyleSports here while over 11.5 match flag kicks is 13/10.
This English Premier League match between Aston Villa and West Ham United will be played on Jan 26, 2025 and kick off at 16:30. Check below for our tipsters best Aston Villa vs West Ham United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.