West Ham United's 5-0 win over Freiburg on Thursday was as good as any that Hammers fans have seen this season, but Sunday's Premier League clash against Aston Villa will be a wholly different contest.
Unai Emery's high-flying side have been breathtaking this season but suffered a 4-0 home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur one week ago, with John McGinn sent off.
While it feels like West Ham's campaign has been marked by inconsistency, David Moyes' team are into the Europa League quarter-finals and are currently seventh in the table, having finished 14th last term and sold Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105m in the summer.
After dispatching Freiburg, Sunday's hosts will be fuelled with fire and belief that they can impose another defeat on the Villans, with Moyes likely to make at least four changes following Thursday's emphatic victory.
1 GK – Alphonse Areola
Alphonse Areola has taken the starring spot between the sticks this season and has done so emphatically, with his command and shot-stopping prowess crucial for Moyes' side.
1.
Alisson Becker
21
55
75.3%
2.
Alphonse Areola
25
104
75%
3.
Andre Onana
28
103
74.5%
4.
Nick Pope
14
39
73.6%
5.
Jordan Pickford
28
83
73.3%
The fitness of Ollie Watkins, who was forced off against Ajax in midweek, is a big question heading into the fixture but Areola will be confident of stopping the visitors' offensive threat.
2 RB – Vladimir Coufal
Having signed for West Ham for just £5m back in 2020, Vladimir Coufal has been incredibly important and has been one of the club's most underrated outlets this term.
As per Sofascore, the 31-year-old has supplied six assists in the Premier League this season, averaging two tackles, 2.7 clearances and 4.5 ball recoveries per game while succeeding with 53% of his ground duels.
3 CB – Kurt Zouma
Kurt Zouma was appointed West Ham captain at the start of the 2023/24 campaign but he hasn't played his best football this year, albeit scoring on his last Premier League appearance against Everton.
The Frenchman, aged 29, is an imposing presence in the backline and will need to harness his command and control if he is to emerge victorious against a fluid and dangerous Lions attack.
4 CB – Nayef Aguerd
West Ham's backline have already conceded 49 league goals this season and Nayef Aguerd is among those who need to perform well against Villa if he is to return to prominence in east London.
He missed out against Freiburg but could return to replace Konstantinos Mavropanos – the latter man notably netting an own goal against Burnley last weekend.
5 LB – Emerson Palmieri
Emerson Palmieri was injured in the first leg against Freiburg and has missed West Ham's past two matches, but he is making good progress and could return to the line-up.
The Italy international – hailed for his "unbelievable" all-encompassing showings by Flynn Downes – has emerged as a key cog in the London Stadium side's system this season and no defender has made more tackles than his 78 in the Premier League.
6 CM – Edson Alvarez
Edson Alvarez had some big boots to fill in the West Ham engine room when signing from Ajax for £35m last August, and while he's not his predecessor, The Athletic's Roshane Thomas has remarked that he has been West Ham's "best summer signing."
As per FBref, the Mexico international ranks among the top 14% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles, the top 20% for interceptions, the top 5% for blocks and the top 1% for clearances per 90.
Tough-tackling and tenacious, he will be key.
7 CM – Tomas Soucek
Tomas Soucek should retain his starting spot tomorrow, with Kalvin Phillips hardly proving himself a reliable starter in a Hammers shirt.
The centre-midfielder has been an important player throughout the Moyes era and has scored nine goals from 40 outings this season.
8 RW – Jarrod Bowen
Naturally, Jarrod Bowen was on the scoresheet in midweek and now boasts a return of 18 goals and seven assists from 36 appearances in all competitions this season.
He's rather good, isn't he? And, moreover, he's back in his favoured role on the right wing.
9 AM – James Ward-Prowse
James Ward-Prowse was harangued for his effort against Burnley last weekend and he was hooked at half-time after taking just 23 touches and failing to contribute with a single defensive contribution besides winning an aerial duel.
Still, he was a wand of a delivery and his creativity could be key tomorrow, especially given that Lucas Paqueta is a doubt after picking up a knock against Freiburg.
10 LW – Mohammed Kudus
Mohammed Kudus is a crowd-pleaser. After the Ghanaian showman's stunning first goal against Freiburg, collecting in his defensive half and beating his man, then another, then another, to finally slot past Noah Atubolu, one half-expected to see a bouquet chucked at his feet, or hear calls for an encore, as he perched on a stool and basked in the glory of a high-class goal.
In other words, he's darn good, and if West Ham are to produce a good display against Villa he will need to be on his a-game.
