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If anything was going to kick-start our inconsistent start to the season it might just be that win away to Burnley on Tuesday night.

Under Big Sam we’ve never really had the privilege of a cup run but, at long last, we can have real hopes of a day out of Wembley, which should give the players the motivation to push on.

Another privilege we’ve not had much of in recent seasons is good away from. Yes, we did set a club record of the most away wins in a single season when we were in the Championship, but it’s been years since we could enjoy some good form away from the Boleyn.

But, now that we’ve finally found some form on our travels, our home form has evidently suffered. We only lost four Premier League games at the Boleyn last season, but we’ve already lost three this season. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what’s caused such a dip in form at home, but we can’t just blame it on our lack of strike options. We have been unlucky, like the 3-2 loss against Everton, while the loss to Manchester City was expected anyway.

So a home game against Aston Villa should be a perfect way to start putting things right on the home form front.

The win at Burnley proved that with patience and determination we can grind out results when under pressure. Burnley put us under immense pressure during the first-half, but the kids and the ‘fringe’ players dealt with it well and capitalised when it counted.

And that’s exactly what we may have to do against Aston Villa. They’ve endured a similar start to the season as us. They won their opening day game against Arsenal and have also beaten City, but they’ve lost and drawn games that they may normally have won against teams like Newcastle, Hull and Everton.

We’ve only won two of our last 10 meetings with Villa, both of them at home, so we know it’s not going to be an easy test. Christian Benteke will be our biggest worry of the afternoon, but Winston Reid has enough about him to keep the Belgian striker quiet.

The fact is that we really can’t afford to come away with anything less than three points from this game. We’re only a point above the drop zone, while Villa are only point ahead of us. Win and we’ll be pulling away from danger, lose or draw and we could be in trouble. We all know that the longer you’re down there, the harder it is to get away from it.

Verdict: Another tight contest, but three points are in the bag.

Team News:

West Ham United (15th, 9 points)

Matty Taylor and Mladen Petric are set to miss out through injury, while Ricardo Vaz Te, Andy Carroll and Alou Diarra are long term absentees.

Carlton Cole is not yet fit enough for a Premier League start, so Modibo Maiga could be given the nod.

Aston Villa (13th, 10 points)

Paul Lambert’s only injury concerns are with Gabriel Agbonlahor (ankle), Antonio Luna (hamstring) and Joe Bennett (back).

Last 10 meetings:

Match in Numbers:

8 – Of the 17 previous Premier League meetings between these sides at Upton Park, eight have ended in draws.

4 – The Hammers have not lost four consecutive home games since the 2005/2006 season.

7 – Villa have conceded the opening goal in seven of their nine Premier League fixtures this season.

0 – Villa have not scored a Premier League goal in their last three games.

50 – If they play, both Jussi Jaaskelainen and Guy Demel will make their 50th first-team appearances for the Hammers.

4 – The Hammers have the fourth best defensive record in the Premier League so far this season.

5 – But Allardyce’s side have failed to score in five of their opening nine Premier League games, which is the joint worst record in the division.

Head-to-Head (all competitions):

PlayedWonDrawnLostForAgainstGD +/-Win %
114403539171170+135.09%