West Ham United will be looking to end a run of three games without a win when they welcome Chelsea to the London Stadium this lunchtime.
David Moyes’ side looked on course to seal all three points against Brighton and Hove Albion here in midweek but Neal Maupay netted a stunning late equaliser to peg them back.
The Irons’ place inside the top-four remained safe but they will need to start picking up wins again or else risk those below closing the gap.
Surely the Scot is tempted to change things up as results have not been going their way, but what sort of side could we see against the Blues today?
Here’s what Football FanCast are predicting…
There could be two changes from Wednesday night. In goal, Lukasz Fabianski is expected to remain between the sticks, but there is a switch to his backline as Issa Diop replaces Craig Dawson in the heart of defence.
The £13.5m-rated Frenchman, dubbed a “colossus” by Irons assistant manager Stuart Pearce, will surely get a chance to prove his worth after the 31-year-old Dawson dropped a disasterclass against the Seagulls, practically allowing them to score.
Doubts remain over the fitness of Aaron Cresswell, who is unlikely to be risked if still carrying a knock, so we may see Ben Johnson and Vladimir Coufal keeping their places at full-back, with Kurt Zouma partnering his fellow countryman in the centre.
Moyes’ midfield engine room is unlikely to change at all, so Declan Rice pairs with Tomas Soucek as usual. Further afield, there could be the other change as Manuel Lanzini, who has made a positive impact from the bench in recent games, replaces the axed Said Benrahma, who struggled against Manchester City last week.
It means that Pablo Fornals reverts to the left, Jarrod Bowen remains on the right and Michail Antonio leads the line as usual.
AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops exciting update on West Ham’s striker search…
