Tomas Soucek to be dropped, Flynn Downes to start – West Ham United predicted XI vs Liverpool
David Moyes could be set to make a big call over Tomas Soucek when West Ham travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Wednesday night.
The Hammers saw their four-game winning streak ended with a controversial 1-1 draw against Southampton at the weekend, and now look to keep their good form going when they take on a rejuvinated Liverpool side.
That means they must be at their absolute best, which means Moyes has some big decisions to make over his team selection including personnel and formation.
Lukasz Fabianski has been the number one all season in the Premier League and that is unlikely to change here, despite the good form of Alphonse Areola in the Europa Conference League.
In defence, there is a bit of an injury crisis for the boss to deal with and it could see him go with a back five for more strength in numbers.
Craig Dawson, Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna are all injury doubts for the game, while Nayef Aguerd is still out with a knee injury picked up in pre-season.
Three of those are likely to miss out, but Zouma has been training and he could be risked to come into the side in a back three, supported by summer signing Thilo Kehrer and Aaron Cresswell, who has made the left centre back spot his own with his performances there.
Ben Johnson is likely to drop out of the starting lineup, meaning Vladimir Coufal will continue at right wing back while Emerson Palmieri will get the freedom of the left flank to himself.
The midfield will obviously contain Declan Rice from the start as the skipper remains the most important player in Moyes’ squad, but who accompanies him is a big decision for the boss.
Tomas Soucek’s form has been pretty bad in recent weeks, while summer signing Flynn Downes has shone whenever he’s been given an opportunity in the Europa Conference League.
That should allow for the youngster to get his first Premier League start of the season, coming in for arguably the biggest test of his career to date.
In attack there are some decisions for the boss too.
Jarred Bowen has been in excellent form since the international break and his pace and goal threat make him a sure-fire starter on the right-hand side or as an auxiliary striker.
Gianluca Scamacca has cemented himself as the first choice striker with a run of good form and he should be able to keep Michail Antonio out of the side once again.
The best chance for West Ham to get success is in transition and that makes Lucas Paqueta’s inclusion vital as the link between midfield and attack, and his flair could be the difference between a good result or a bad one.