West Ham United and Southampton go into their Saturday afternoon Premier League game with not much to play for.
While Southampton have successfully steered clear of safety and are in 16th position with 38 points, hosts West Ham are on 46 points, and don’t have a chance of catching Wolves who occupy the seventh position.
A finish in the top half of the table will be on Manuel Pellegrini’s agenda, however, and the Hammers will want to win their final home game of the season.
West Ham won the away fixture earlier this year, and have a good record against the Saints in recent history, winning three of their last four clashes.
West Ham’s last Premier League outing ended in an impressive 1-0 away win at Tottenham which was a much-needed one for the Hammers as they had lost three of their previous four games.
Andriy Yarmolenko and Andy Carroll won’t be in contention for a spot on Saturday as they are out due to injury, but the likes of Samir Nasri, Aaron Cresswell, and Manuel Lanzini are set to return to the squad.
Defenders
Lukas Fabiański will start in goal for the Hammers against Southampton. The backline will most likely remain unchanged from their previous match against Spurs, with Issa Diop and Fabián Balbuena forming the heart of the defence.
Aaron Cresswell is back from injury but Arthur Masuaku will continue at left-back, while Ryan Fredericks will start at right-back.
Midfielders
In midfield, Declan Rice will be the deepest midfielder in the Hammers side, and will start beside captain Mark Noble. Felipe Anderson has had a decent first year in the Premier League, scoring 9 goals (most for the Hammers in the Premier League this season) and assisting four times, and will likely start as the left-sided attacker.
Last week’s goalscorer in their win against Tottenham, Michail Antonio, will hold his place on the right, and his bursting runs and eye for goal will be threats to the Saints’ defence.
We could perhaps see Robert Snodgrass drop to the bench and be replaced by Argentine attacking midfielder Manuel Lanzini, who will return to the West Ham squad after a groin injury.
Attackers
The sole striker in the West Ham United team will be Marko Arnautović, who has scored 7 times in the Premier League this season. Arnautović can be a handful on his day and he will hope to end his season on a good note.
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