West Ham United will entertain Anderlecht at the London Stadium on Thursday evening hoping to clinch qualification to the knockout rounds of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The two teams will be meeting for the second time in a week, with the match in Belgium ending 1-0 in favour of West Ham thanks to a second-half strike from Gianluca Scamacca. This saw the Hammers make it three wins out of three in Group B.
A point in midweek will all but assure a place in the next round for David Moyes’ side, who head into this fixture off the back of a 3-1 win over London rivals Fulham in the Premier League.
Maxwel Cornet has missed the last two games with a slight calf strain and is set to sit this one out as well. Other than Cornet and Nayef Aguerd, who is out with a foot injury, David Moyes has a doubt regarding Antonio’s availability with the striker suffering from a cold for the last couple of days.
Goalkeeper
David Moyes will probably revert to a back three formation and shuffle his pack against Anderlecht, similar to what he did in Brussels and enjoyed success last week. Alphonse Areola is West Ham’s cup goalkeeper and should start in the West Ham lineup on Thursday, having kept a clean sheet last week.
Defence
Angelo Ogbonna, Craig Dawson and Ben Johnson could form the back three for the Hammers, hoping to keep things tight at the back throughout the game. If West Ham are to have higher chances of keeping a clean sheet, the back three must keep Fabio Silva at bay.
Kurt Zouma and Thilo Kehrer will offer cover for defensive positions.
Midfield
Flynn Downes may get another opportunity in central midfield after putting in a steady display against Anderlecht in Brussels. Downes will partner Manuel Lanzini in the Hammers’ engine room, with the duo operating in the centre of the pitch to marshal the back three.
Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri will operate as wing-backs in the West Ham lineup, providing width, energy and robustness to the midfield. The two wing-backs, along with Downes and Lanzini, will look to dominate Anderlecht in the centre of the pitch.
Attack
Said Benrahma was an unused substitute in West Ham’s 3-1 win over Fulham, so he will be fully fit and fresh to start against the Belgian opposition. Benrahma will operate in the hole behind the two-pronged West Ham attack—most likely led by Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen.
Both Antonio and Bowen will need to be sharp and clinical in front of the goal if they hope to secure all three points and subsequently West Ham’s passage to the next round of the Conference League. Gianluca Scamacca, Lucas Paqueta and Pablo Fornals will be available for selection on the bench.
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