ESPN pundit predicts outcome of West Ham clash v Lyon
Alejandro Moreno has predicted West Ham to win in the second leg against Lyon on Thursday in the Europa League.
The scores are tied at 1-1 after the first leg, where the Hammers played an entire half with 10 men after Aaron Cresswell was sent off.
The ESPN pundit has suggested that he hasn’t seen enough from Lyon to suggest that they can win at home and move to the semi-final.
“Tricky one. The 1-1 draw was the best case scenario for West Ham if you consider the fact they went down a man, Cresswell getting himself thrown out at the end of the first half,” said Moreno on ESPN.
“I didn’t see enough from Lyon to suggest they are far better than West Ham. I didn’t quite get that feeling. I just think, maybe, just maybe, West Ham does it again.
“They go away from home, they show some character, they show some fight and they show quality moments that matter. I’m thinking West Ham goes to Lyon and get a result.”
Big test
The preparation ahead of this game is far from ideal.
The Hammers lost 2-0 against Brentford in the Premier League last weekend and they failed to move up the table after top-four rivals Manchester United and Arsenal both had dropped points.
On top of that, first-choice centre-back Kurt Zouma has picked up an ankle injury and he is likely to miss the rest of the season.
Mark Noble is also ill and could miss the game. It remains to be seen how the Hammers approach the second leg. Will they sit back and defend and look for counter-attacks? Will they try to play their normal attacking game and look to outscore their opponent?
Offensively, the Hammers are not delivering enough. Michail Antonio, the lone striker at the club, hasn’t found the net in the last 12 games.
Luckily for the Hammers, Jarrod Bowen has picked up from where he left before his injury. The Hammers need to be patient, but they can definitely get a positive result in France.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers have scouted a £20m-rated “Dangerous” British striker and want to seal a permanent move this summer.
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