Lopetegui makes Kudus decision after Ghana shock – West Ham United predicted XI v Tottenham
Performances during the international break have left Julen Lopetegui with major decisions to make as West Ham United prepare to face Tottenham.
The Hammers will lock horns with Spurs in North London in their first Premier League game after the international break on Saturday (19 October).
Having beaten Ipswich Town 4-1 to register their second league win of the season before the break, Lopetegui is expected to name an unchanged lineup this weekend.
Lopetegui to name an unchanged West Ham United XI
Alphonse Areola has established himself as the number one at the London Stadium and will likely keep his place between the sticks.
Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo are expected to be Lopetegui’s preferred centre-back pairing after the pair started together in the Irons’ last two league games.
Konstantinos Mavropanos staked a claim to be in the starting lineup over the international break, being labelled “magical” after Greece’s 2-0 win against Ireland on Sunday (13 October), but remains behind the aforementioned two in the pecking order.
Emerson is poised to start ahead of Aaron Cresswell, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka is likely to keep his place at right-back despite Vladimir Coufal impressing on international duty.
Guido Rodriguez, meanwhile, is expected to be the link between the defence and the midfield.
There is no reason to think Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta will lose their places in front of the Argentinian, although Carlos Soler is an option for Lopetegui.
There are no doubts about Jarrod Bowen’s spot in the team, but the same cannot be said about Mohammed Kudus on the left wing.
Kudus failed to turn up for Ghana in their 2-0 defeat against Sudan in the AFCON qualifiers on Tuesday (15 October).
With Kudus netting only once in seven league games for West Ham this term, there is an argument to be made about Crysencio Summerville starting against Spurs. The Ghanaian, though, is expected to keep his place.
Summer signing Niklas Fullkrug could be sidelined for a few more weeks (ExWHUEmployee, 16 October), thus reducing West Ham’s options upfront to Michail Antonio and Danny Ings.
Antonio has led the line for Lopetegui’s side in all but one occasion in the league this season and therefore is likely to keep his spot on Saturday.
In other West Ham news, this is how Stuart Pearce thinks Saturday’s match will end.
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