Lopetegui ´not putting limits´ on West Ham dreams ahead of Aston Villa opener

Julen Lopetegui insisted that he will “not put limits” on West Ham’s dreams ahead of their opening game of the Premier League season against Aston Villa.

Lopetegui, who is taking charge of his second team in England’s top flight, has overseen several new arrivals at the London Stadium in the past few weeks.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug have all put pen to paper on deals with the Hammers, but the Spaniard knows that it will take more than just new faces to achieve their end goal.

“I don’t put limits on our dreams. The only way you can achieve dreams is by working,” Lopetegui said.

“We can talk about ambitions, but the most important thing is to work hard every day, especially on the bad days.

“We need to work with good energy and progress step by step.”

Lopetegui looks ahead to his first Premier League game in charge of the Club

Follow the press conference live

— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 15, 2024

Meanwhile, Aston Villa are gearing up for the new season along with their first Champions League campaign since 1983 following a fourth-placed finish last season.

They have also made additions, with Unai Emery welcoming eight new arrivals to bolster their squad after seeing injuries threaten to derail their campaign last year.

However, manager Unai Emery insisted that the Premier League remained a priority, calling for consistency as they aim to navigate a hectic fixture schedule.

“The first objective is 38 Premier League matches. Then, to play in the Champions League is really the way we want to be competitive,” Emery said.

“To win a title through the Champions League, we could, but it would be very difficult.

“We’re not refusing this option, but we have to be competitive and consistent in the Premier League.”

Ready for 2024/25. pic.twitter.com/nEeysg6U4x

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 15, 2024

PLAYERS TO WATCH

West Ham – Crysencio Summerville

Last season’s Championship Player of the Year, Summerville, will be hoping to hit the ground running in what will be his third crack at the Premier League.

The Dutchman was involved in 28 goals last season for Leeds (19 goals and nine assists excluding the play-offs), with only Southampton’s Adam Armstrong (34) and Blackburn’s Sammie Szmodics (31) involved in more.

Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins

Off the back of his most prolific scoring season with Villa and a semi-final strike for England at Euro 2024, Ollie Watkins has been tipped to challenge for the Golden Boot this time around.

Watkins joined the Villans from Brentford, but has enjoyed a return to the capital since, scoring more times (13) in games played in London than any other Villa player.

He has 59 overall goals in the Premier League, behind only Gabriel Abgonlahor (74) and Dwight Yorke (60) for the West Midlands club.

MATCH PREDICTION: WEST HAM WIN

West Ham just edge Opta’s data-led simulations, handed a win percentage of 41.1% compared to Villa’s 32.2%, with a draw given a 26.7% chance of happening.

But both sides have struggled on the opening day in recent years. The Hammers have lost on five of the six occasions they’ve begun a Premier League campaign against a side who finished in the previous season’s top four.

They have also won their opening Premier League match in just one of the last eight seasons (D1 L6), beating Newcastle 4-2 in 2021-22. Indeed, the Hammers have lost their opening game in the Premier League more often than any other side (15).

But they have fared better against Saturday’s opponents in the head-to-head record. The Hammers have lost just one of their last 12 Premier League games against Aston Villa (W6 D5), which came in a 4-1 loss at Villa Park last season.

Aston Villa have lost their opening Premier League match in each of the last three seasons, conceding 10 goals in those games. They also lost the last time they faced West Ham in their first game, falling to a 1-0 defeat at Upton Park in 2012-13.

Emery’s side failed to win any of their last four Premier League games in 2023-24 (D2 L2), their longest run without a win under the Spaniard. The 52-year-old last had a longer run without a league win between May and September 2021 with Villarreal (D4 L1).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

West Ham – 41.1%

Draw – 26.7%

Aston Villa – 32.2%