Craig Dawson to return, Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio to start – West Ham United predicted XI v Wolves
David Moyes has got some big decisions to make as West Ham return to Premier League action this weekend when they face Wolves.
The Irons have suffered defeat in five of their seven league games so far this season, including a 1-0 loss against Everton in their last fixture before the international break.
But the team is in desperate need of turning their fortunes around and that means changes are necessary on the pitch, starting with the boss’ team selection for the game.
In goal there have been calls for Alphonse Areola to take over in the Premier League, but Moyes is unlikely to move away from Lukasz Fabianski as his number one any time soon and the Pole should start.
In defence the team have been dealing with a lot of injuries throughout the campaign which has certainly contributed to their poor results. But Moyes should welcome some player back now and that should mean changes.
Thilo Kehrer was signed in the summer and has played as a centre-back so far, but after an impressive showing at right-back for Germany during the international break Moyes could be tempted to give that a go.
Ben Johnson may not be fit and Vladimir Coufal has struggled with form, so it could prove to be a great alternative and an easy way to get Craig Dawson back into the fold.
The defender missed the start of the season through injury but got a goal on his return in the Conference League before the break. Now with more training under his belt, a return to the starting lineup isn’t out of the question to partner Kurt Zouma in the middle.
Aaron Cresswell and Emerson Palmieri have been competing for the left-back position so far this season too, but the Italian is a more attacking option and deserves the chance from the start.
In midfield it’s likely to be more of the same as Declan Rice will partner Tomas Soucek, mainly due to a lack of other options with Flynn Downes still yet to convince that he’s ready for the Premier League.
Jarrod Bowen didn’t get a chance to feature for England despite being called up to the squad so he will be well rested and keen to shine with the World Cup squad announcement due in just four weeks.
The club spent a club record amount to bring Lucas Paqueta to the club from Lyon and he’s likely to continue in the number ten role to link the midfield and attack.
Said Benrahma has been in good form while Pablo Fornals has struggled, but Moyes could look to really change it up here and use Michail Antonio in his previous role as a winger.
Able to run the channels and provide a goalscoring threat, his pace and energy would be a great foil for Italy forward Gianluca Scamacca to start as the number 9 and form a partnership to fire West Ham out of the drop zone.
Predicted West Ham XI v Wolves: Fabianski; Kehrer, Dawson, Zouma, Emerson; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Antonio; Scamacca