Standing six points clear of the drop zone, David Moyes’ West Ham United are well on their way to retaining their top-flight status but the manager will want his side to end the season on a high note and will look to bounce back from the loss against Arsenal at Emirates last weekend. But they face a tough task this weekend when they welcome an already crowned Manchester City side to London Stadium.
City beat Swansea 5-0 to keep up their lead at the top of the table and are now chasing a couple of PL all-time records from now to the end of the season. Pep Guardiola will know that the job is done but will want his side to continue their winning run this weekend. However, West Ham have proven hard to beat recently and with a chance to move to up to 11th in the points table beckoning, The Hammers might be a tough test for the league champions. This game has no real influence on the league as a whole and here is the predicted lineup Moyes might field for this tie:
Team News:
The Hammers are still without the services of Winston Reid, Sam Byram, and Michail Antonio, all of who are out injured. Pedro Obiang and James Collins are both close to a comeback and might play some role in this game while Joe Hart is ineligible to play against his parent club. Manuel Lanzini is also fit and is pushing for a place in the first team this weekend.
Expected lineup (3-4-3):
Defence:
With Joe Hart not available, Adrain will start under the bar and was urged to prove himself by his manager before the game. Aaron Cresswell has turned into a regular in the backline and will start on the left side of the back-3 while young Declan Rice, who is putting in some good performances recently, will start on the other side.
Angelo Ogbonna has been West Ham’s most consistent defender this season and will retain his place at the heart of the backline.
Midfield:
Mark Noble and Chiekhou Kouyate have been used regularly in the midfield recently by Moyes and he is expected to stick with them for this crunch game. The experience of Pablo Zabaleta at right wing-back and the creativity of Arthur Masuaku at left wing-back will provide the balance in midfield for The Hammers.
Attack:
Marko Arnautovic scored the only West Ham goal against Arsenal and will look to put in a similar performance this weekend. Edimilson Fernandes has not been at his best and could be replaced by Manuel Lanzini on the right flank while Joao Mario will keep his place on the left flank.
Here is how they might line up:
