Aston Villa will be looking to all but secure their Premier League status for another season when they host West Ham United at Villa Park this weekend.
They come up against a side looking to guarantee their place in the top half of the table, with uncertainty surrounding the future of their manager.
Aston Villa
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Aston Villa's resurgence under Tim Sherwood continued last weekend as they picked up a second win in three outings in the league, beating Everton 3-2, with Christian Benteke scoring twice.
The Belgian striker particularly seems to be benefiting from the arrival of the new manager earlier this year, having netted 11 times in his last nine matches for the club.
Scoring goals has been a problem for Villa throughout the campaign, averaging less than a goal a match so far in the league, with only Sunderland and Burnley, who sit in the bottom three, having scored fewer times.
Benteke's recent form has seen the team pose more of a threat in front of goal though, with seven goals coming from their last four outings, just one of which has resulted in defeat.
Despite their recent run, Villa sit just two points clear of the relegation zone with three matches still to play, so they cannot secure their survival this weekend, but three points would go a long way towards helping the team avoid the drop.
Sherwood will certainly be hoping that his side can secure their Premier League status sooner rather than later to give him time to prepare them for their FA Cup final against Arsenal later this month.
There has also been talk of investment at Villa Park this summer, with former Arsenal captain Tony Adams linked with a £150m takeover at the club.
Villa's home form has not been great this season, with the team picking up just four wins and 18 points in their 17 matches at Villa Park.
Recent form: LLDWLW
Recent form (all competitions): LDWWLW
West Ham United
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West Ham sit ninth in the table ahead of their trip to Villa Park, and know that three points this weekend would all but secure the team a top-half finish, potentially giving them their highest league finish since 2009.
Sam Allardyce's side ended a run of four matches without a win last time out, narrowly beating Burnley 1-0 thanks to a Mark Noble penalty after Michael Duff was sent off, something which the Clarets have since appealed and had overturned.
The manager's future at the club has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks, with the Hammers thought to be looking for a replacement at the end of the season.
West Ham's season started brightly, with the team pushing for a spot in the top four before Christmas, but the side have picked up just three wins since the turn of the year, leaving them outside the European places.
West Ham have not been as strong away from home as they have at Upton Park this season, with just three of their 12 victories coming on the road and their last away win coming back in December, when they beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1.
Scoring goals has been something of a struggle for this weekend's visitors in recent weeks, with the team having not scored more than once since their 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur back in February.
Recent form: WLDLDW
Team News
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The home side will be able to turn to Gabriel Agbonlahor after he returned to training this week following a spell out with a hamstring injury, with the manager confirming that the striker is available for this match.
The forward had been building a strike partnership with Benteke prior to picking up the injury, and Sherwood will surely want to give him a chance to get back on the pitch and fully match fit before the FA Cup final later this month.
For the visitors, Alex Song has been back in training after a spell on the sidelines, but missed out in last week's win over Burnley.
There have been no new injuries reported following last week's outing, but Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho are both still sidelined.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Given, Bacuna, Okore, Vlaar, Richardson, Cleverley, Westwood, Delph, Grealish, Agbonlahor, Benteke
West Ham possible starting lineup:
Adrian, Jenkinson, Collins, Burke, Cresswell, Noble, Song, Kouyate, Downing, Nolan, Valencia
Head To Head
When the sides met earlier in the season at Upton Park, the teams shared a goalless draw, extending Villa's run without a win over the Hammers to three matches.
Villa's last win over West Ham came back in the 2012-13 season, when they secured a 2-1 home win over this weekend's opposition, but they were beaten at home last time the sides played at Villa Park.
In 93 previous league meetings between the two sides, each team has secured 32 wins, while 29 matches have resulted in draws.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham
West Ham are going to finish midtable regardless of their final three results, but Villa still need the points, so have more to play for this weekend. The visitors have also been short of goals recently, with a number of strikers struggling with injuries in recent weeks, something which has not been an issue for the hosts, particularly with the imminent return of Agbonlahor. Villa have not won in their last three matches against West Ham, but it has typically been a closely-fought rivalry, so they are due a win.
Sian Cowper
