WHZ View: Antonio out, Fredericks & Fornals to start – West Ham predicted XI v United
West Ham travel to Old Trafford on Tuesday evening to face off with Manchester United in an FA Cup fifth-round tie.
The Hammers advanced through Stockport County and Doncaster Rovers in the third and fourth rounds, but this fixture poses a real test.
Man United will fancy their chances tomorrow evening. They’ve knocked out Watford and Premier League champions Liverpool so far and will be confident at home.
Since defeating Liverpool, the Red Devils have won just once in four games. However it was a 9-0 thrashing of Southampton, they’re a team that can certainly score goals.
Moyes will be wary of the task ahead. We were defeated 3-1 at the London Stadium by our hosts in December, but we did miss some big chances.
With that in mind, West Ham Zone predicts the boss to name the following XI in the FA Cup tie tomorrow evening:
In goal could be Lukasz Fabianski. He kept his first clean sheet since Doncaster in our league match with Fulham at the weekend. With Darren Randolph injured and Nathan Trott having made just one first-team appearance, we assume the pole will be between the sticks.
A centre half pairing may consist of Craig Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna. Dawson scored against Stockport in the third round, and bagged twice more in the league since then.
The central defenders are likely to be flanked by Vladimir Coufal on the right and Aaron Cresswell on the left. Both have been in fantastic form as of late, but face big tests from United’s front line.
As he did in the last two rounds, Mark Noble will probably skipper the side. If he starts, he’ll likely anchor the midfield alongside England international Declan Rice. The pair have an excellent relationship on and off the field, and will play together should Soucek’s red card not be overturned.
Ryan Fredericks could play on the right flank. He has an excellent game against Villa, and could be used to double up on Marcus Rashford. The Man United forward caused problems when coming on at half time at the London Stadium, and ultimately won them the match.
Pablo Fornals might get his chance on the left wing. He hasn’t started a game since the arrival of Jesse Lingard and will be keen to impress. He scored in the last round against Doncaster.
Said Benrahma is predicted to play in the number ten role, behind Andriy Yarmolenko. Yarmo had his best game of the season in the last round, and is likely to get a start so Moyes can rest Antonio.
In other West Ham news, here are three things we learned about the Hammers in the draw with Fulham.