Graham Potter's tenure as West Ham head coach began with an FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa earlier this month and he now makes a quick return to Villa Park with the two teams set to lock horns in the Premier League on Sunday.
The ink had barely had time to dry on Potter's two-and-a-half year contract with the Hammers before he oversaw his side put in a good display, but ultimately lose 2-1 at Villa in the cup on 10th January.
Since then, Potter has overseen a pair of home matches in the league which have ended in contrasting fashion, with a 3-2 win over Fulham being followed by a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace.
Villa head into this game unbeaten in five domestically, but they did lose and produced a largely underwhelming display at Monaco during the week in the UEFA Champions League.
With another important European game to come against Celtic on Wednesday, this match may fall at an awkward time for Unai Emery and his team.
Under 2.5 goals - 6/5
Villa have been in good form domestically and had won three games on the bounce prior to last weekend's 2-2 draw at Arsenal, where they showed great character to come from 2-0 down to salvage a share of the spoils.
The exertions of that Emirates Stadium comeback perhaps contributed to their struggles at Monaco, as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat and lacked a cutting edge, with Emery admitting his experiment of playing Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins up front together during the second half was a "mistake".
The Villans now realistically must win at home to Celtic in their final league phase game to secure a top-eight finish in the UEFA Champions League and with it an automatic place in the round of 16.
With such a carrot dangling at the end of the proverbial stick, Villa's priority could well be Wednesday's match, which means they may not be at their best against the Irons, particularly in front of goal after their struggles against Monaco.
However, West Ham are also facing issues in the final third, as they could be without a quartet of attacking players for this game, with Niclas Fullkrug and Michail Antonio still sidelined and Crysencio Summerville and captain Jarrod Bowen major doubts.
A new striker appears to be Potter's main priority in what remains of the January transfer window, with Villa's Duran believed to be one of the names on his wish list, but attacking reinforcements are unlikely to arrive ahead of this game.
The Hammers drew a blank against Palace last time out and they may also struggle to score at Villa Park, and with the hosts perhaps focusing elsewhere, this one may not prove a classic encounter.
Under 9.5 match shots on target - 10/11
Scoring goals may not be the only issue for these two sides on Sunday, as both rank poorly when it comes to shots on target in the Premier League this season.
Only Everton and the bottom three heading into the weekend, Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton, have managed fewer shots on target in the top-flight than West Ham's total of 90, with Villa sitting just one place higher on that list with 92.
The Hammers have failed to have more than four shots on target in any of their last nine matches across all competitors, managing just two in the cup defeat to Villa and none against Palace last weekend.
Villa have been fairing slightly better, but they have not tested an opposition goalkeeper more than five times since beating Manchester City before Christmas, a run of seven matches.
All this suggests that neither keeper will be overworked on Sunday, with the total number of shots on target for both teams combined likely to remain in single digits.
Carlos Soler to be booked - 3/1
Spain international Carlos Soler is yet to fully establish himself at West Ham since arriving on loan from Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, starting only nine Premier League games to date and producing just two goal involvements.
However, the 28-year-old could earn a recall to the starting XI after coming off the bench against Palace last weekend and he will be keen to make his mark on the game.
Still getting up to speed with life in the Premier League, attacking midfielder Soler has been booked five times to date, with only regulars Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta having received more yellows in the Irons squad.
In a game that could lack chances and become frustrating for creative players, do not be surprised if Soler picks up caution number six at Villa Park.
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Aston Villa - 8/15
Draw - 10/3
West Ham - 5/1
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.