Confirmed – Two changes as Moyes names West Ham XI v Man City
West Ham travel to the Etihad Stadium today to face off with the Premier League leaders Manchester City.
The Hammers travel north in Saturday’s early kick-off. They’ll attempt to stop Pep Guardiola’s men from winning 20 matches in a row in all competitions.
They’re arguably the best side to do it, too. Aside from City, West Ham have taken the most points since the turn of the year in the Premier League. Their 22 points from a possible 27 would rank them second in the league from 1st January 2021.
It’s a massive ask to overturn City today, though.
David Moyes has made two changes to the side that defeated Spurs 2-1 last weekend.
Darren Randolph comes back into the side to replace Lukasz Fabianski. The Irishman hasn’t featured since last month, but did keep a clean sheet in the trip to Everton in January.
Vladimir Coufal will be playing at right-back. He was excellent in the reverse fixture, providing the assist for Antonio’s acrobatic goal.
Issa Diop, Craig Dawson and Aaron Cresswell will play in the centre of defence as Moyes reverts back to a 5-3-2 formation. Cresswell will be looking to add to his eight assists in the top-flight this season.
Ben Johnson comes back into the side to replace Jarrod Bowen. Johnson will play at left-wing back, facing off against City’s inform man Riyad Mahrez.
Declan Rice captains the side today in centre midfield. He’ll play alongside top goalscorer Tomas Soucek who’s bagged eight times in the 2020/21 campaign.
Our front three remains unchanged from the Spurs game. Goalscorers Jesse Lingard and Michail Antonio start with Pablo Fornals. They played well last weekend, constantly interchanging positions. They’ll have their work cut out for them today against the best defence in the league.
In other West Ham news, Cresswell v Mahrez will be a crucial clash in the match at the Etihad today.