West Ham will look to make it to quarter-finals of the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening when they host Manchester City at the London Stadium.
The Hammers advanced to the competition’s last 16 by beating Manchester United at Old Trafford last month thanks to a sole strike from Manuel Lanzini.
David Moyes’ side beat London rivals Tottenham at home in the Premier League on Sunday and will head into this tie confident, but they face an uphill task of finding a way past a Manchester City side that has won the previous four editions of the competition.
West Ham Team News
Vladimir Coufal is still struggling with a groin problem and Alex Kral is set to miss out after testing positive for Covid-19.
Meanwhile, right-back Ryan Fredericks should be fit to face Manchester City on Wednesday.
Predicted West Ham United Lineup vs Manchester City (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Alphonse Areola is West Ham’s cup goalkeeper and will likely start against Man City.
Defence
David Moyes will ring changes in his defence and provide rest to Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma, who helped the Hammers keep a clean sheet against Tottenham over the weekend. The centre-back duo will be replaced by Craig Dawson and Issa Diop on Wednesday.
Arthur Masuaku is likely to replace Aaron Cresswell at left-back. Ben Johnson has deputised well in the absence of Vladimir Coufal but having played continuously in recent weeks, the youngster could be afforded a break with Ryan Fredericks taking his spot at right-back.
Midfield
Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek have been so reliable in the middle of the park for Moyes’ side over the last 12-15 months. But with games coming thick and fast, Moyes will look to give Soucek a rest on Wednesday and hand veteran Mark Noble a start in midfield.
Nikola Vlasic is yet to kickstart his career at West Ham and the cup game against Manchester City would be an ideal opportunity for him to do so. The Croat’s creativity and dribbling skills in the final third will be important for Moyes’ side to get past the Sky Blues.
Attack
Andriy Yarmolenko is set to come into the starting XI with the hope of offering a different dimension to West Ham’s play. The experienced Ukrainian international will start on the right flank with Manuel Lanzini providing pace and creativity from the other side of the pitch.
Michail Antonio is likely to start on the bench after his tenacious display against Spurs. This could see Jarrod Bowen lead the Hammers attack, just like he did against Manchester United.