Jarrod Bowen misses out as Danny Ings handed undeserved start – West Ham United predicted XI v Burnley
Jarrod Bowen could be set to miss out for West Ham against Burnley on Saturday (25 November) after picking up a knee injury on international duty.
While the 26-year-old’s problem isn’t believed to be anything too serious, he has seen a specialist after the Hammers medical staff discovered that there was fluid in the England winger’s knee [Claret and Hugh].
With Michail Antonio definitely ruled out of the fixture after he suffered a knee ligament injury while away with Jamaica, that opens up the door for misfiring forward Danny Ings to earn a start against his old side.
With that in mind, David Moyes is only expected to make one change to the team that beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 on 12 November, as Antonio was named on the bench that day.
After nailing down the number-one spot in goal this season, Alphonse Areola will once again take up his position in between the sticks at Turf Moor.
Vladimir Coufal, who was sent home during the international break by the Czech Republic after being spotted out drinking alcohol at the weekend, will keep his place at right-back despite his recent misdemeanour.
He will be joined in the backline by captain Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd after he has shaken off a concussion sustained against Forest, with Emerson providing width at left-back.
Edson Alvarez will once again start alongside James Ward-Prowse in deep-lying midfield roles, while Tomas Soucek will play in an advanced position as he looks to get in the box and on the end of crosses into the box.
Mohammed Kudus should be named on the right-hand side of the attack despite suffering with a back problem during the international break and Lucas Paqueta will occupy a free-roaming role coming in off the left.
That means Ings will spearhead the attack in the absence of Antonio and Bowen, with the Irons unlikely to want to take a risk on making the latter’s injury any worse ahead of a busy few weeks.
In other West Ham news, a journalist has detailed how likely a former Irons favourite is to replace David Moyes.