Early West Ham United team news v Fiorentina: David Moyes to make eccentric decision on Lukasz Fabianski
David Moyes is expected to start Alphonse Areola in goals when West Ham United play Fiorentina in the Conference League final on Wednesday night, according to The Guardian.
The newspaper reports on their website (6 June) that Areola, 30, has played in all of West Ham’s European games this season Moyes is expected to “keep faith” with him in Prague.
However, it is understood that Moyes is considering an eccentric change-up which would mean Lukasz Fabianski would be substituted into the game ahead of a penalty shoot-out, if things materialise that way at the Eden Arena on 7 June.
Big decisions to make
Fabianski is known to be a great penalty saver.
According to transfermarkt, the Polish shot-stopper has saved 20 penalties in in his career, with two of them coming this season against Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Leicester’s Youri Tielemans.
Last term, Fabianski saved an incredible four penalties, with all of them coming in the Premier League.
He has, however, conceded 47. But saving around 29 per cent of the penalties you’ve faced is an incredible feat.
Areola, on the other hand, has only saved seven in his career. None of them were at West Ham and the most recent one was against EA Guingamp for Paris Saint-Germain in January 2019.
He’s conceded 36, meaning he’s saved 16 per cent of the penalties he’s faced. It’s not bad – but it’s not Fabianski.
It would be quite the call by Moyes if he was to do that, should a penalty shoot-out go ahead.
We’d back Fabianski, 100 per cent. But maybe he just start what we think is the better goalkeeper from the off.