West Ham United welcome Crystal Palace to the London Stadium on Sunday in what promises to be an exciting London derby in the Premier League.
The Hammers are 13th in the table and lost narrowly to Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend. They did bounce back with a resounding 3-0 victory against Romanian club FCSB away in the Europa League on Thursday evening.
Sunday marks the start of three consecutive home games in all competitions for David Moyes’ side and they will want to win them all before heading into the World Cup break.
West Ham Team News
Lucas Paqueta has been sidelined with a shoulder injury for West Ham’s last four games across all formats but he could make an imminent return to the squad.
Lukasz Fabianski is a doubt for the clash with Crystal Palace after being substituted at half-time against Man United with a suspected knee problem, while Maxwel Cornet recovers from a calf injury.
Predicted West Ham Lineup vs Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
If Lukasz Fabianski misses out, Alphonse Areola will don the gloves on Sunday. The French shot-stopper has proven himself a more than capable deputy in the absence of Fabianski, especially in the Conference League, and should be raring to take his opportunity with both hands should it come his way.
Defence
Having already clinched the top spot in their Europa Conference League group, David Moyes heavily rotated his squad against FCSB in midweek to keep his first-team players fresh and fit for the Premier League fixture.
In defence, Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma should act as centre-backs in the West Ham lineup, hoping to keep the Palace attackers quiet throughout the 90 minutes.
Thilo Kehrer could operate at right-back, with Aaron Cresswell filling in the other side of the defence as the left-back.
Midfield
Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek have been regular starters in the West Ham midfield in recent seasons, and it won’t be any different on Sunday. The duo will try to dominate possession in the middle of the park and shield the back four efficiently.
Flynn Downes has impressed in recent weeks, and in Lucas Paqueta’s injury absence, the 23-year-old will likely continue operating in the hole behind the striker in the West Ham lineup.
Pablo Fornals is also an option.
Attack
Gianluca Scamacca should once again get the nod ahead of Michail Antonio to lead the West Ham lineup. Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen will operate as wide playmakers, hoping to help knit the Hammers’ industry and organisation to an end product.
Michail Antonio, Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini will be available for selection on the bench as they wait for their chance to make an impact in the second half if required.
