The Julen Lopetegui era at the London Stadium begins on Saturday as West Ham United welcome Aston Villa for their opening match of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.
Overall, Aston Villa's record against the Hammers is a cause for concern. The Birmingham outfit have won just one of their last 12 top-flight games with the East London side and are winless in their previous nine away league meetings at West Ham.
Moreover, Villa lost their opening Premier League game in the last three campaigns. They have conceded 10 goals in the process, with the 5-1 defeat at the hands of Newcastle United last season being the most recent example of their opening-day struggles.
After four rollercoaster years with David Moyes at the helm, West Ham is embarking on a new chapter with Julen Lopetegui. The allure of the Premier League proved too strong for the 57-year-old Spaniard, who has overseen a summer transfer window that brought in eight new players for a combined £120 million, signaling the club's intent to build a "complete team."
This transfer activity underscores West Ham's ambitions of returning to European competition following their historic Conference League triumph two years ago. The Hammers are also keen to improve on last season's ninth-place finish in the Premier League. They capped off their pre-season by retaining the Betway Cup, winning 6-5 on penalties against Celta Vigo after an entertaining 2-2 draw. However, their pre-season results were mixed, with one win, one draw, and two losses in their previous four friendlies.
Heading into Saturday's clash, West Ham faces a challenging statistic: they have won their opening Premier League game just once in the last eight years and hold the record for the most opening-day defeats (15) in the competition's history.
West Ham will be without key midfielder Edson Alvarez, who is recovering from a hamstring injury sustained on international duty at the 2024 Copa America.
Meanwhile, Kurt Zouma's potential move to UAE side Shabab Al-Ahli is also in doubt after a failed medical. New signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who joined the Hammers on Tuesday, is unlikely to start, leaving Vladimir Coufal to retain his place at right-back.
Another recent recruit, Jean-Clair Todibo, might also be eased in, while Max Kilman is expected to start in central defense. Guido Rodriguez, Crysencio Summerville, and Niclas Fullkrug are all in contention to make their debuts, with Lopetegui likely to start Mohammed Kudus and new captain Jarrod Bowen.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, is entering uncharted territory as it prepares for its first top-tier European campaign in 41 years. Last season, Unai Emery's Villans stunned the Premier League by securing a top-four finish, outperforming the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur.However, their European aspirations fell short in the Conference League, where they were knocked out in the semi-finals by eventual champions Olympiacos.
Villa's pre-season was less than ideal, with four defeats from their last five matches, including losses on their U.S. tour and a 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund. The departures of key players Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby have been a blow, but manager Unai Emery still boasts a squad with plenty of top-quality players, supplemented by eight new signings this summer. With that said Villa will be aiming for another top-four finish this season.
Aston Villa have injury concerns of their own, with Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara still recovering from serious knee injuries and backup goalkeeper Robin Olsen doubtful due to a facial injury sustained in pre-season.
Diego Carlos, heavily linked with a move away from Villa Park, is unlikely to play here, which could see Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa start at center-back. Elsewhere, summer signing Ian Maatsen will push for a starting spot in the full-back positions.
Amadou Onana, a £50 million acquisition from fellow Premier League side Everton, could feature in the middle of the park along with John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, and either Leon Bailey or Jacob Ramsey.
Despite not featuring in pre-season due to his exploits with England at Euro 2024, Ollie Watkins is expected to lead the line for Aston Villa, with Morgan Rogers as a potential partner. West Ham-linked Jhon Duran is also in contention for a feature.
Based on their summer transfer activity and the appointment of Lopetegui, West Ham will indeed be looking for something more than a comfortable mid-table finish this season.
In fact, both West Ham and Aston Villa are expected to perform well in 2024-25, but neither has a strong track record on the opening weekend.With mixed pre-season results for both sides, predicting a winner is difficult, but an entertaining, high-scoring game seems a likely outcome.
The last time these two clubs faced each other in an opening Premier League game was in August 2012, with the Hammers securing a narrow 1-0 victory at Upton Park. Now, at the very beginning of Lopetegui's era - a manager who has already guided elite teams such as Real Madrid, Porto, Sevilla, and Wolverhampton Wanderers - West Ham are keen to start their new campaign on a positive note.
