West Ham United will host their city rivals Fulham to the London Stadium on Sunday hoping to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League.
The Hammers beat Wolves 2-0 in the Premier League last weekend before following it up with an impressive 1-0 away win at Anderlecht in the UEFA Europa Conference League in midweek.
Two wins in as many games across all formats should give David Moyes’ side some confidence ahead of the visit of Fulham, who are eighth in the table with 11 points and heading into this tie on the back of a 4-1 home loss to Newcastle United.
West Ham Team News
Maxwel Cornet is ruled out of the game on Sunday with a small calf strain, confirmed Moyes in his presser. Other than Cornet, Moyes will have a fully fit squad to select his side against the Cottagers.
Full focus on Fulham ⚒️#WHUFUL pic.twitter.com/0kfQXImYVN
— West Ham United (@WestHam) October 8, 2022
Predicted West Ham Lineup vs Fulham (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Lukasz Fabianski should return in goal on Sunday after Alphonse Areola played in the Europa Conference League clash with Anderlecht. The Polish shot-stopper’s aim will be to keep back-to-back clean sheets at home.
Defence
David Moyes is expected to revert to a 4-2-3-1 system against Fulham, after using a back three at Anderlecht. Kurt Zouma should walk into the side after enjoying some rest in midweek, with the Frenchman expected to partner Craig Dawson at the heart of the Hammers’ backline.
Predicted West Ham United Lineup vs Fulham
Aaron Cresswell, who was an unused substitute against Anderlecht, will start at left-back, with Vladimir Coufal a certainty at right-back. The West Ham back four will need to be focused throughout the game to keep an exciting Fulham attack at bay.
Midfield
Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek will make up the West Ham midfield as the duo focus on winning the battle in the middle of the park and orchestrating some significant openings in the final third.
Lucas Paqueta will function ahead of the double pivot of Rice and Soucek, hoping to carve open the Fulham rearguard with his incisive passing, movement and flair. Moyes will want Paqueta to be more decisive in the final third.
Attack
Jarrod Bowen will function as the right-sided wide player while Pablo Fornals hopes to catch the eye on the right flank. The creativity and movement of Bowen and Fornals could play an important role in opening up the Fulham defence.
Gianluca Scamacca came off the bench and scored the winner against Anderlecht on Thursday, so he will be hungry to make a difference again on Sunday afternoon. Moyes could hand Scamacca a start up top ahead of Antonio against the Cottagers.