West Ham hope to return back to winning ways in the Premier League when they welcome Brentford to the London Stadium on Friday evening.
The Hammers lost 3-1 to table toppers Arsenal away on Boxing Day, stretching to four straight league defeats. They just find themselves above the dotted lines, leaving manager David Moyes under immense pressure heading into the New Year.
Moyes will expect a rousing response from his boys in the London derby against Brentford, who head to east London on the back of a 2-2 draw with Tottenham.
Nayef Aguerd, Gianluca Scamacca and Maxwel Cornet all missed the Boxing Day trip to Arsenal. David Moyes is hopeful of having Scamacca back in time to face Brentford, while Aguerd remains a doubt due to his recent illness.
On top of the aforementioned trio, Kurt Zouma also was absent against Arsenal with a knee problem and his availability for the upcoming game is unknown.
Goalkeeper
Lukasz Fabianski is West Ham’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper and should start on Friday evening. After conceding three goals at Arsenal, the experienced Pole will be raring to keep a clean sheet against Brentford.
Defence
David Moyes could make changes to his backline that got terrorised for the majority of the game against Arsenal last time out. He could keep the centre-back pairing of Craig Dawson and Thilo Kehrer intact but hand Ben Johnson a start at right-back ahead of Vladimir Coufal, who had a poor game at the Emirates Stadium.
Aaron Cresswell should retain his place at left-back, thereby, completing the Hammers’ back four.
Midfield
Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek have held the midfield for West Ham in recent years and that is unlikely to change in Friday’s clash with Brentford. Lucas Paqueta brings creativity and flair to this West Ham side, and the Brazilian’s presence will be vital in carving open the Brentford defence.
Manuel Lanzini and Flynn Downes should act as cover for midfield positions from the bench.
Attack
Said Benrahma, who scored a penalty against Arsenal on Boxing Day, is expected to start on the left flank, while Jarrod Bowen looks to provide pace and energy down the right. Benrahma and Bowen will have crucial roles to play in stretching the well-oiled Brentford defence.
Gianluca Scamacca is expected to recover from an ankle injury in time and be available for selection. However, the big Italian could only find himself on the bench, meaning Michail Antonio should again be tasked with leading the West Ham attack.
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