West Ham confirm starting XI for Rapid Vienna game
West Ham have confirmed their starting XI for their home Europa League match against Rapid Vienna.
David Moyes has made seven changes from the side that beat Leeds United on Saturday.
In goal, Alphonse Areola gets another chance to impress with Lukasz Fabianski on the bench.
Protecting Areola is a back four consisting of Ben Johnson, Craig Dawson, Issa Diop, and Aaron Cresswell.
Declan Rice plays alongside Mark Noble.
Said Benrahma, Nikola Vlasic, and Andriy Yarmolenko start behind Michail Antonio
Few changes for the Hammers.
Given that Antonio is the Irons’ only first-team forward and the fact they play against Brentford on Sunday, it is a real surprise to see that Moyes has decided to play him.
However, should he need to come off, the Hammers have Jarrod Bowen, Manuel Lanzini, and Pablo Fornals on the bench.
So there are plenty of attacking options for Moyes to call on if things start to go wrong.
This is a good chance for the likes of Areola, Kral, and Diop to show what they can do after impressing against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup.
This is an easier game on paper than Dinamo Zagreb away, but we doubt that Moyes is taking them lightly, which is reflected in his team selection.
We are looking forward to watching this one, and it should be a cracking game of football.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers have identified a Champions League player as their next target.
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