David Moyes rings changes as 8 axed – West Ham United predicted XI v Olympiacos
David Moyes could be set to ring the changes to his West Ham starting lineup for their Europa League clash with Olympiacos on Thursday night.
The Hammers suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League at the weekend, halting any momentum they had following the international break.
Now Moyes must find a way to rebuild momentum ahead of a big European clash with the Greek giants, and he could ring the changes to give fringe players a chance and key players a rest for the game.
Lukasz Fabianski and Alphonse Areola have switched roles this season and the Pole is the man tasked with keeping the ball out of the net in Europe, so he will continue in goal.
Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell both missed the weekend defeat through injury, and it’s unlikely either will be fit to return in time. That should see Vladimir Coufal continue in the team with Thilo Kehrer coming in ahead of Emerson Palmieri.
Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd remain the first-choice pairing in the middle but this is a chance for Angelo Ogbonna and Dinos Mavropanos to start together again, with the Greek defender pushing for a starting spot in the Premier League in particular.
Midfield is an area where Moyes is a bit light on numbers and that means he’s likely to stick with two tried-and-tested members of his squad in Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse, allowing for Edson Alvarez to get a rest after his international duty saw him clock up the air miles.
Ahead of them though there is plenty of options for Moyes to choose from and it should see all change to find a way to build some momentum in the squad.
Jarrod Bowen is in good form but could be rested ahead of the weekend clash with Everton, so Pablo Fornals should come in on the right while Said Benrahma is likely to get the nod on the left ahead of Maxwel Cornet.
Up front Danny Ings is still looking to kick-start his Hammers career and should get picked ahead of Michail Antonio with the Jamaican recently back from injury and international duty, while Mohammed Kudus continues to try and force his way into the manager’s plans and should get the nod in his preferred No.10 role ahead of influential Brazilian Lucas Paqueta.
