WHZ View: 26y/o could exploit key Whites weakness – Predicted West Ham XI v Leeds
West Ham United will travel to Elland Road on Friday night for their Premier League clash against Leeds United.
The Hammers saw their unbeaten run come to an end on Saturday, as they were swept aside by Manchester United at the London Stadium.
David Moyes’ men could have been out of sight at half-time but missed numerous huge chances before collapsing.
Moyes won’t be tempted to make wholesale changes.
Michail Antonio is a confirmed absentee in West Yorkshire, with the striker also set to miss the game with Crystal Palace with his hamstring problem [Claret and Hugh].
Andriy Yarmolenko is ready to return after his positive COVID-19 test and could be involved at Elland Road in some capacity.
How do we expect the Hammers to line-up?
The Irons defence has been a big part of this seasons’ success, and Lukasz Fabianski will continue with Aaron Cresswell, Angelo Ogbonna and Fabian Balbuena ahead of him.
Arthur Masuaku and Vladimir Coufal have added a new dimension going forward as wing-backs, and both will be eager to continue against Leeds.
Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek will continue in midfield, with their physicality key to stopping the relentless pressure of the Whites.
The big question is which front three will Moyes name at Elland Road?
One guarantee is Jarrod Bowen. The winger was superb against Manchester United, and did everything but score at the London Stadium.
This could be the perfect chance to bring Said Benrahma in for Pablo Fornals, who had a miserable afternoon against the Red Devils.
Leeds have a major problem with defending set-pieces, with Olivier Giroud and Kurt Zouma tormenting them against Chelsea – something which makes us believe that Sebastien Haller could be our secret weapon on Friday.
Here is how we expect West Ham to line up against Leeds…
In other West Ham United news, Frank McAvennie fires Hammers transfer warning