Eight of the last 11 Upton Park meetings between West Ham and Aston Villa have ended in draws and Simon Hopper thinks we could be in for another this season – see his preview and all the best odds here.

Group G Kick-off 19-45 (BST)

Markus Babbel is looking for an immediate improvement on Stuttgart’s form in front of goal when they visit Champions League Group G leaders Sevilla.

The Bundesliga outfit have scored just twice in their previous six matches in all competitions, the last of which came in the Matchday 3 defeat by tonight’s opponents.

Sevilla coach Manuel Jimenez said his aim tonight was to ensure that his side finishes top of the group.

“The faster we achieve our goal of finishing first in the group the better it is,” he said. “Everybody thinks finishing first is better but it depends on the teams that finish in second position. Really it is a question of luck.

“We are not sure yet if Kanouté is 100 per cent so we don’t know if he will play. Palop can but I have to check if he is 100 per cent. Javi Varas is doing very well [in his place] and is an excellent goalkeeper.

“I’m not thinking about the match against Villarreal next Saturday, just about Stuttgart. I will put out my best team. I have my starting XI in mind, but I don’t know if those eleven players can play because of injuries.”

Babbel, highlighting the defensive lapses that cost his side all three points at the weekend, has warned his players to concentrate.

“We deserved to win our last Bundesliga match against Bayern but we didn’t due to lapses in concentration,” he said. “We know that Sevilla are a good team and dangerous from free-kicks and corners, so we have to concentrate. There is less pressure on Sevilla than on us but there are times that when you play without pressure you play better.

“They will want to be at their best and we can’t wait for a present from them. Sevilla and Barcelona play the best football in Spain so if Sevilla can maintain this level then they have a realistic chance of achieving great things in the competition.

“We defended pretty well against Bayern but we didn’t create scoring chances so we have to improve upon this. Goals shouldn’t always be scored by forwards – midfielders and defenders have to score too.”

Eight of the last 11 Upton Park meetings between West Ham and Aston Villa have ended in draws and Simon Hopper thinks we could be in for another this season – see his preview and all the best odds here.

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