Alphonse Areola will be in goal for West Ham United as they take on Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.
The French goalkeeper has become Nuno Espirito Santo’s first choice and has been one of the better players since the Portuguese took over.
Areola was even nominated for the Premier League’s Save of the Month, showcasing just how reliable he has been between the sticks for West Ham United.
Paul Merson does not see West Ham beating Aston Villa. Does Nuno need to change his eleven to get the job done?
Callum Wilson must start against Emery's side.
Premier League announce match officials for West Ham United vs Aston Villa
Ahead of every matchweek, the Premier League announce the officials for all 10 games.
For the game between West Ham and Aston Villa at the London Stadium, the on-field referee will be Anthony Taylor, who does not have the best of reputations.
West Ham THRASHED Aston VIlla 4-0 in 2005! Can you guess the three missing players from their XI?
A clue; One of the three mystery men scored a hat-trick…
Adam Nunn and Ian Hussin will serve as Taylor’s assistants at either end of the pitch.
VAR is once again expected to play a big role, and Nick Hopton has been handed the responsibility, with James Bell as his assistant.
Finally, the Premier League have announced Ben Toner as the fourth official for this one.
Alphonse Areola will remember incident with Anthony Taylor against Liverpool
Back in April 2024, the Hammers played out a 2-2 draw against Liverpool.
Taylor was the referee for that game and there was a controversial incident involving him, Areola and Cody Gakpo.
The West Ham keeper went down as he collided with the post, but Taylor surprisingly asked him to play on.
However, just as Gakpo looked to tap the ball into the back of the net, the referee blew his whistle.
This decision saw an enraged Jeff Stelling rant the morning after on talkSPORT.
He said: “It seemed like he almost encouraged the West Ham keeper to be injured when he wasn’t, he was calling the physios on, nobody else. He’s made an almighty cock-up and tried to cover his back.
“What the heck was that decision about? He’s made a horrific mistake. It was, for me, the most bizarre refereeing decision of the entire season.”
Areola certainly will be remembering that incident and will be hoping that Taylor has a better game without making any controversial calls.
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