West Ham United face yet another tough task this weekend when they travel to Vicarage Road. They face a Watford side who have now lost each of their last five top-flight games in England.
After the 5-0 mauling at the Etihad to start their league campaign, West Ham picked up their first point of the season with a 1-1 draw at Falmer Stadium last weekend. The Hammers will now hope to pick up their first win of the season against Watford.
West Ham’s lead only lasted for four minutes against the Brighton, and Pellegrini will hope that his side can put in a better performance and register their first win of the season on Saturday.
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The manager revealed that he is not sure about his strongest XI this season. And the return of Mark Noble, Sebastien Haller and Felipe Anderson, all of who are back in training, will cause further selection dilemma.
Winston Reid is the only other player missing from the squad for this weekend.
Predicted West Ham United Lineup (4-2-3-1)
Defence
Lukasz Fabianski made a couple of important saves against the Seagulls to earn his side a point. He has been vocal ahead of this game and will hope to have a calm night at Vicarage Road.
Pellegrini has stuck with Issa Diop at the back, but replaced Fabian Balbuena with Angelo Ogbonna in the last game. The duo did well against the likes of Glenn Murray and will hope to keep a clean sheet against a side that is yet to score a goal this season.
Arthur Masuaku replaced Aaron Cresswell at left-back and could retain his place in the first team after putting in an energetic performance against Brighton. Ryan Fredericks has been decent at the back and should start once again.
Midfield
Declan Rice put in two decent performances in the middle of the park for West Ham. But he has been exposed far too often, leaving him covering loads of space in front of the backline.
Pellegrini needs to solve this problem and could push Mark Noble back into the starting XI, adding experience and grit to the midfield.
With Felipe Anderson back fit, Pellegrini should use the Brazilian on the right flank, as he did against Manchester City. Manuel Lanzini has been the best player for the Hammers since the start of the pre-season, and he could be used on the left flank, to try and trouble the likes of Kiko Femenía.
Jack Wilshere has not been able to express himself, playing as a central midfielder. But with Noble back in, the former Arsenal man will be used in a more free-flowing role, which could be a real danger for the Hornets this weekend.
Attack
Haller is back fit but Javier Hernandez has opened his account and looked lively against Brighton. He could test the likes of Craig Cathcart and Craig Dawson with his movement, as both centre-halves have had an ordinary start to their season.
Here is how they might line up:
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