West Ham predicted XI vs Southampton: Konstantinos Mavropanos axed as Nuno forced to change

West Ham United have to turn things around quickly against Southampton on Tuesday.

The Hammers will travel to St Mary's Stadium on 25 August in the second round of the Carabao Cup.

In their first game back at the London Stadium, the Irons suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Charlton Athletic in the Championship.

Nuno Espirito Santo will now surely be looking to make changes to his starting lineup against Southampton, especially in defence, with Joel Veltman possibly coming in for Konstantinos Mavropanos.

While the East London outfit's priority will be to win automatic promotion, they surely need to give their fans something to cheer for in the cup competitions.

While it would make sense for the Portuguese manager to rest some of his key players for the next Championship game, the trip to Hampshire could potentially hold a lot of weight.

Will Lewis Orford start vs Southampton?

In midfield, West Ham clearly need more creativity, and it's time Nuno relied on James Ward-Prowse.

While the former Saints midfielder may not have the athleticism needed, his passing range could come in handy at St Mary's Stadium.

Arne Engels and the 31-year-old could be supported by Jarrod Bowen on the right and Keiber Lamadrid on the left.

Joel Piroe should keep his place in the attack, this time as the leading option, with Divine Mukasa potentially playing behind him in the number 10 role.

Lewis Orford came on in the middle of the park against Charlton after replacing Mohamadou Kante at half-time, but his lack of experience may see him stay on the bench.

How Nuno could use fluid formation at West Ham

Piroe scored against Charlton and Nuno can surely count on him to consistently contribute this season.

The Suriname international played as the lone striker for Leeds United during their promotion-winning campaign and was the leading goalscorer in the Championship.

While the Portuguese manager has preferred to play with two centre-forwards in recent months, one has naturally dropped back into the number 10 role.

With Mukasa behind the striker, the Hammers will have a natural creative midfielder in the position.

It would also mean that Bowen and Lamadrid may have more freedom going forward, with the ability to move into a 4-3-3 system in possession.