David Moyes makes eight changes in West Ham confirmed XI vs Kidderminster
West Ham have selected a very strong side to take on Kidderminster in the FA Cup, with David Moyes making eight changes to the lineup.
The Hammers look to avoid a giant killing in the fourth round of the competition and Moyes has named a strong team including several first-team regulars to take on the non-league outfit.
Alphonse Areola keeps his place in goal after starting the defeat to Manchester United, with Lukasz Fabianski given the game off.
Ben Johnson and Ryan Fredericks start in defence at full-back, while midfielder Alex Kral gets a rare start alongside captain Mark Noble.
Michail Antonio is left out of the squad after only returning from international duty on Friday morning, which allows Jarrod Bowen to start alongside Andriy Yarmolenko in attack..
West Ham XI vs Kidderminster: Areola; Fredericks, Diop, Zouma, Johnson; Noble, Kral; Vlasic, Benrahma, Bowen; Yarmolenko
Momentum
West Ham have lost each of their last two games after suffering dramatic defeats to both Leeds and Manchester United.
Regardless of the team selected by Moyes today, the Hammers should be expecting victory so this game is more about getting momentum back in their favour for the upcoming Premier League games.
A cup run would be a great addition to an already promising season as they push for a Champions League place and this is a great way to get their season back on track.
It’s a big chance for Kral to prove he deserves more game time in midfield over the second half of the season, while Johnson also gets to continue to develop with first-team minutes.
Bowen gets another chance up front too to show that Moyes was right not to jump into the market for a striker just for the sake of it.
In other West Ham news, ‘Humongous’ – David Moyes makes bold transfer claim on West Ham ace in 2022