West Ham United injury news v Bristol City: Konstantinos Mavropanos and Vladimir Coufal updates – Expert
Konstantinos Mavropanos and Vladimir Coufal could both be available for David Moyes on Tuesday 16 January as West Ham prepare for their FA Cup replay with Bristol City, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.
Mavropanos was injured in the first outing between the two at the London Stadium, with Coufal said to be stunned by a couple of tackles as he looks to recover.
However, Dinnery believes that the defensive duo have a 50 per cent chance of being available for Moyes’ squad at Ashton Gate in his latest update.
Timely returns, potentially
West Ham have been stricken by injuries in recent weeks, with the start of AFCON compounding their issues. Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen are noticeable absentees, alongside Michail Antonio who has been on the sidelines for weeks.
With Nayef Aguerd and Mohammed Kudus away on international duty, Moyes’ squad has been skinned to its bare bones. But Coufal and Mavropanos could offer two huge boosts for the FA Cup replay against Bristol City.
Although Angelo Ogbonna has impressed in recent matches, the return of Mavropanos is likely to be met with cheers rather than see the 35-year-old Italian centre-back deputise in defence.
Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma, who would likely pair up without the Greek centre-back, have not started in a defensive partnership since West Ham’s smash-and-grab victory over Brighton in August.
And with Ben Johnson the only other right-back in the squad, Coufal would be welcomed back with open arms by Moyes and the Hammers fans. Despite struggling in the first leg at London Stadium, the Czech defender is likely to make amends if he is fit enough to start.
In other West Ham news, early team news has broken ahead of the Bristol City game.