Draws against Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur and a win against West Bromwich Albion should have lifted the spirits of West Ham United in the Premier League. They are currently placed 15th in the league table with 22 points from 22 games.
On Sunday, attention shifts to the FA Cup as David Moyes’ side are due to face Shrewsbury Town in the third round of the aforesaid competition. Moyes is expected to be without some of his main men such as Aaron Cresswell, Sam Byram, Jose Fonte and is likely to rest the likes of Marko Arnautovic, Pablo Zabaleta and Manuel Lanzini.
Here is how we expect West Ham United to line-up against Paul Hurst’s side.
Defence
Joe Hart will come back in the side and the Englishman will want to make a favourable impression after a torrid last couple of years.
Pablo Zabaleta deserves a bit of rest after having played a lot in the league and thus, the right-back position might be handed to Reece Burke, who has been recalled from his loan spell with Bolton Wanderers.
For the left-back slot, Arthur Masuaku is likely to be deputized, whereas, at the heart of the defence of West Ham United, we are expecting to see the paring of Winston Reid and James Collins. Reid and Collins will not only offer resilience but also their leadership qualities from the back.
Midfield
From the right midfield, we could see Domingos Quina operate, for he has been trusted frequently in the recent weeks and has shown that he has the calibre to discharge first-team responsibilities.
On the left, Martin Samuelsen, who was in the matchday squad to face Tottenham Hotspur, is likely to get a nod to start the proceedings.
Another teenage sensation who is likely to be pencilled in the starting line-up is Sead Haksabanovic, who would be asked to create an adequate number of chances and question the opposition’s defence with his passes and movements on and off the ball if he gets a start that is.
Mark Noble is expected to take the deeper central midfield role and bring calmness and fluidity and to dictate the game from the middle of the park.
Attack
Andre Ayew is likely to start up front for the Irons against the Blues and to accompany him, Javier Hernandez would be a decent choice. Hernandez has smashed 4 goals in the league so far this season and it would be a huge game for him to showcase what he is capable of.
