New signing given full debut, Michail Antonio call made – West Ham United predicted XI v Liverpool
Julen Lopetegui has been predicted to make six changes to his West Ham United starting XI for the Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool.
The Hammers make the trip to Anfield on Wednesday (25 September) as they look to book their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup and pick up their first win in three games in all competitions.
With pressure mounting on Lopetegui following the disappointing 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, the Irons boss will be keen to make changes to his starting XI on Wednesday, while keeping a solid and reliable spine on the field.
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Lukasz Fabianski started between the posts for the second-round clash with Bournemouth and the Polish international is set to be handed another rare chance to impress on Merseyside.
Ahead of him, Max Kilman is expected to continue at centre-back, but the Englishman is set to be joined by Jean-Clair Todibo as the Hammers revert back to a 4-2-3-1 formation and ditch the back five.
The Frenchman has barely been seen since his summer transfer from Nice, but the cup clash feels like the right opportunity for him to be given another chance, especially with Konstantinos Mavropanos’ poor form.
Emerson will continue at left-back, but Vladimir Coufal looks likely to take the place of Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the right of defence after the former Manchester United man had a tough afternoon against Chelsea.
In midfield, West Ham fans could see a new-look partnership of Carlos Soler and Tomas Soucek.
Both players were introduced against the Blues last time out and the trip to Anfield feels like a good time to hand Soler his first start in England.
Edson Alvarez and Guido Rodriguez are expected to be dropped to the bench having looked off of the pace against Chelsea, particularly the latter who was hooked by Lopetegui after just 38 minutes.
At the top of the midfield, Lucas Paqueta will surely continue up front and Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen appear set to start either side of the Brazilian international.
If the Hammers want to break down Arne Slot’s side away from home, they are going to need a bit of magic and all three players can produce a moment of quality to unlock a defence.
Crysencio Summerville can feel disappointed to miss out on a second consecutive start, but it doesn’t seem as though Lopetegui has a lot of faith in the Dutchman having substituted him early on last time out.
At the top of the pitch, Michail Antonio looks set to get the nod. The Jamaican international knows how to occupy a defence and with Niclas Fullkrug still a doubt, he feels like the sensible pick to lead the line.
In other West Ham news, Tim Steidten has been slammed for a Lopetegui decision at the London Stadium this summer
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