Julen Lopetegui stressed that he would “set no limits to our dreams” ahead of West Ham’s opening game of the Premier League season against Aston Villa.
Lopetegui, who takes charge of his second team in England’s top flight, has overseen several new signings at the London Stadium in recent weeks.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug have all signed deals with the Hammers, but the Spaniard knows it will take more than just new faces to achieve their ultimate goal.
“I don’t put limits on our dreams. You can only make your dreams come true by working,” Lopetegui said.
“We can talk about ambition, but the most important thing is to work hard every day, especially on the bad days.”
“We have to approach the matter with a lot of energy and move forward step by step.”
Meanwhile, Aston Villa is preparing for the new season and its first Champions League campaign since 1983, after finishing fourth last season.
They have also brought in reinforcements: Unai Emery welcomed eight new signings to strengthen his team after injuries threatened to jeopardise last year’s season.
Coach Unai Emery, however, stressed that the Premier League remains a priority and called for consistency in the team’s hectic schedule.
“The first goal is 38 games in the Premier League. Then we want to be really competitive by playing in the Champions League,” said Emery.
“We could win a Champions League title, but it would be very difficult.
“We are not rejecting this option, but we have to be competitive and consistent in the Premier League.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
West Ham – Crysencio Summerville
Summerville, who was named Championship Player of the Year last season, will be hoping to hit the ground running on his third attempt at the Premier League.
The Dutchman was involved in 28 goals for Leeds last season (19 goals and nine assists, excluding play-offs). Only Adam Armstrong of Southampton (34) and Sammie Szmodics of Blackburn (31) were involved in more goals.
Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins
After his highest-scoring season with Villa and a goal for England in the semi-finals of Euro 2024, Ollie Watkins is considered the favourite for the Golden Shoe this time around.
Watkins joined the Villans from Brentford but has since enjoyed his return to the capital, scoring more goals (13) in London matches than any other Villa player.
He has scored a total of 59 goals in the Premier League, only Gabriel Abgonlahor (74) and Dwight Yorke (60) are better for the West Midlands club.
MATCH PREDICTION: WEST HAM WINS
West Ham are narrowly ahead in Opta’s data-driven simulations, with a win rate of 41.1% compared to 32.2% for Villa, with the probability of a draw at 26.7%.
But both teams have struggled on opening days in recent years, with the Hammers losing five of the six times they have started a Premier League season against a team that finished in the top four the previous season.
They have also only won their opening Premier League game in one of the last eight seasons (D1 L6), beating Newcastle 4-2 in 2021/22. In fact, the Hammers have lost their opening Premier League game more often than any other team (15).
However, they have fared better against Saturday’s opponents in a head-to-head comparison. The Hammers have lost just one of their last 12 Premier League games against Aston Villa (W6, D5), a 4-1 defeat at Villa Park last season.
Aston Villa have lost each of their opening Premier League games over the last three seasons, conceding 10 goals in the process, including their last opening game against West Ham, when they lost 1-0 at Upton Park in 2012/13.
Emery’s team have failed to win any of their last four Premier League games in the 2023/24 season (2 draws, 2 losses). This is the longest winless streak under the Spaniard. The 52-year-old last had a longer streak without a league win with Villarreal between May and September 2021 (4 draws, 1 loss).
OPTA PROBABILITY OF WINNING
West Ham – 41.1%
Draw – 26.7%
Aston Villa – 32.2%
