West Ham predicted XI v Man United: Areola set for debut
West Ham could hand Alphonse Areola his debut in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup game against Manchester United.
The Hammers’ summer signing did not join to warm the bench or wait for Lukasz Fabianski to get injured.
He would have come under the impression of being given a fair chance to prove why he deserves the number one spot at the club.
Thus far, he hasn’t been given even a single opportunity to prove his credentials but all that could change on Wednesday.
A good performance here could see him knocking on David Moyes’ door for more first-team minutes and given Fabianski’s age, that very well could happen.
Areola, who has been labelled “brilliant” in a Breaking The Lines profile piece, will be hoping to make his debut here.
We’re expecting the Scotsman to make eight changes to the side that narrowly lost to the same team on the weekend.
Mark Noble, who made the headlines for missing a stoppage time penalty, could be drafted into the playing eleven to partner Alex Kral.
This would see Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek get some much-needed rest as they’ve played in every game this campaign.
In terms of rest, the same can be said of the two full-backs Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal who have started every Premier League game.
Moyes could bring in Ryan Fredericks and long-term injury absentee Arthur Masuaku for his first start in months.
Masuaku played a few minutes off the bench in the Europa League win over Dinamo Zagreb and may be ready for a start after a long injury rehab.
Kurt Zouma impressed against Man United at the weekend and despite him being the first choice, Moyes could look to start him and give him some minutes in a bid to acclimatise him with the rest of the players.
Issa Diop is in line for a rare start and could partner his French compatriot at the heart of the defence.
Michail Antonio will return from his suspension lay-off and should be thrown right into the eleven.
Said Benrahma played despite being a doubt for the weekend game, so Moyes may look to rest him here, making way for Manuel Lanzini.
Andriy Yarmolenko is a player who could start, but his underwhelming performance off the bench on Sunday may give Moyes second thoughts.
In other West Ham news, ‘Brilliant’ – Andy Townsend waxes lyrical of West Ham player after one moment v Man United
Be sure to follow West Ham Zone on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Hammers and more exclusive interviews with Frank McAvennie.