As he risks fan wrath over star

Nuno Espirito Santo looks set to make two changes to his West Ham team for the visit of in-form Aston Villa but will risk the wrath of fans over one star, Charles Lucas reports for Hammers News.

West Ham are facing the Premier League’s best team of the last two-and-a-half months when Aston Villa come to the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

It promises to be an emotional occasion with the Hammers officially marking the passing of the club’s greatest ever player Billy Bonds.

On the pitch, Nuno Espirito Santo will want his players to show the kind of fight and spirit that epitomized Bonds as they battle to stay in the top flight.

A win over Aston Villa could lift the Hammers out of the danger zone and up to 16th above Leeds and Forest, who face Brentford and Spurs respectively.

West Ham can take big step towards safety with Villa win

But beating Unai Emery’s side will be no easy task.

Aston Villa have won nine of their last 10 Premier League matches, taking the most points of any team in the top flight since 28 September onwards.

That has propelled Villa up to third in the table and a win over the Hammers could put them second, just three points behind leaders Arsenal.

After beating Villa five times in a row, the Irons do not have a good recent record against their claret and blue cousins, going winless in five Premier League encounters against them since that perfect run.

Captain Jarrod Bowen will be the first name on Nuno’s team sheet.

Bowen is going in search of making it 100 goals and assists combined in the Premier League for West Ham as he sits on 60 goals scored having laid on 39 for his teammates.

West Ham lose two of their best players after the Villa clash with El Hadji Malick Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka heading off to AFCON for up to six weeks.

That is a problem for Nuno to worry about next week – when they make the daunting trip to Man City.

For now, they will be included and hoping to link up with Senegal and DR Congo off the back of a win.

There are several major selection decisions for the head coach, though.

Nuno looks set to make two big West Ham changes for Aston Villa and will risk fan wrath over one star.

The Hammers boss will likely revert to a back four against Villa.

Nuno makes two big West Ham changes for Villa

That will mean dropping either Max Kilman or Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Kilman had been left out recently amid his continued struggles this season with the big Greek preferred alongside Jean-Clair Todibo.

Kilman returned to the side as part of a back three at Brighton and Mavropanos cost West Ham dear at the end of that game.

Firstly Mavropanos was too honest by failing to go down after being caught in the face by a high boot before the Seagulls equalised.

Then he missed a simple header for a goal with the last kick of the game.

We think Kilman will be the one to drop out as Freddie Potts replaces him in change number one.

Striker Callum Wilson can’t play three games in a week due to his extensive injury history.

So he was rested at Brighton.

But he made a big impact when he came on, setting up Bowen’s goal.

And Wilson will come back into the starting XI in change number two, replacing Guido Rodriguez, who was a surprise name on the team sheet last time out.

Nuno risks fan wrath over Magassa

That means there will be no place in the team for brilliant French destroyer Soungoutou Magassa.

The £17m summer signing from Monaco was on the bench alongside Potts at Brighton following his man of the match performance and goal at Man United.

Magassa was brilliant in training ahead of West Ham’s clash with Villa.

West Ham fans are seriously excited about Magassa and feel he brings much-needed steel to their midfield, which has looked a lot more balanced when he plays alongside Potts and Mateus Fernandes.

But Magassa looks set to be on the bench again with Nuno adamant Lucas Paqueta starts when he is available.

Fixture: West Ham United vs Aston Villa
Competition: Premier League
Kick-off: 14:00 UK time

West Ham United Lineup vs Aston Villa

Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Mavropanos, Diouf, Magassa, Potts, Fernandes, Bowen, Summerville, Paqueta

Substitutes: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Igor, Wilson, Rodriguez, Soucek, Scarles, Kante

Villa starting XI vs West Ham: Bizot, Cash, Konsa, Lindelof, Maatsen, Kamara, Onana, McGinn, Tielemans, Rogers, Watkins.