West Ham United will play host to Leicester City in the Premier League on Monday, as the Hammers look to build on their strong start to the new season.
West Ham battled past Newcastle United 4-2 last weekend thanks to goals from Aaron Cresswell, Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma and Tomas Soucek.
The Hammers were given a massive scare early on as they trailed 2-1 at half-time. But David Moyes’ side looked rejuvenated after the break and dismantled the hosts to get their campaign off to a winning start.
Leicester, meanwhile, eked out a narrow 1-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The last time West Ham and Leicester locked horns in the Premier League, the Hammers escaped with a 3-2 win.
Team News
Arthur Masuaku missed West Ham United’s opener against Newcastle United due to a knee problem and he is unlikely to be back in time for Monday’s game.
Apart from Masuaku, Moyes has a full squad to choose from.
Predicted West Ham United lineup vs Leicester City (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Despite the arrival of Alphonse Areola in the summer, Lukasz Fabianski appears to be West Ham’s first-choice keeper and should get the nod against Leicester. The 36-year-old kept ten clean sheets in 35 league appearances last season.
Defence
Vladimír Coufal and Aaron Cresswell were exceptional for the Hammers last season and are automatic selections in the West Ham United lineup. Both players like to get forward and help out in attack, and they will have a crucial role to play against an injury-ravaged Leicester backline.
Angelo Ogbonna managed to shake off an injury in time for West Ham’s opening game of the season. Although he did look shaky at times against Newcastle, he should maintain his spot at centre-back ahead of Issa Diop in the West Ham United lineup.
Craig Dawson, who also struggled against Newcastle, will partner Ogbonna at the heart of the defence considering West Ham’s lack of alternatives.
Midfield
West Ham skipper Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek will continue their partnership in central midfield. Rice has developed into one of the finest holding midfielders in the Premier League and has attracted interest from several top teams, including Chelsea.
Predicted West Ham United Lineup vs Leicester City
But West Ham have done well to retain his services thus far, and the England international will have a huge role to play in their desired top-six push.
Soucek, meanwhile, was West Ham’s player of the season in 2020-21. The Czech looked in fine touch in West Ham’s opening game against Newcastle, scoring the goal that gave them the lead.
The No. 10 position will be a toss-up between Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini. Fornals failed to make much of an impression against Newcastle, but it’s unlikely he will be dropped on the basis of one bad performance.
Attack
Jarrod Bowen impressed with his speed and dribbling against Newcastle and should retain his spot on the right flank in the West Ham United lineup ahead of the mercurial Andriy Yarmolenko.
Said Benrahma will start from the left flank. The Algerian is a tricky winger who can trouble defences with his pace and creativity. Benrahma scored and provided an assist against Newcastle and will look to produce a similar display against Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Michail Antonio will lead the line for West Ham. Antonio was a constant threat to the Newcastle defenders last time out, providing the assist for Benrahma’s goal and also getting on the scoresheet.
A missed penalty took some of the shine off an otherwise flawless performance. Leicester do not have a lot of pace in their backline and Antonio could cause them plenty of problems with his darting runs.