West Ham United, now under the management of former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter face Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round at Villa Park. Kick-off is at 20:00. Last Word on Football brings you a West Ham Predicted Lineup.
West Ham Predicted Lineup vs Aston Villa
How West Ham Have Lined Up Recently
As previously stated, West Ham are now under the management of Graham Potter, who replaces Julen Lopetegui who was manager for just half a season of the Hammers. Therefore, we can expect a changed lineup, especially given that Potter’s first game comes in the FA Cup third round.
Alphonse Areola has returned to first-team football after he was sidelined with injury. He replaced the injured Polish international Lukasz Fabianski who had started the last eight matches for Lopetegui’s side before the Liverpool match where the Hammers lost 5-0. Albeit, Fabianski was stretchered off with an injury in a 1-0 win against Southampton. Areola will be fully expected to start in goal.
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Under the management of Lopetegui, West Ham favoured playing four at the back. In their last match, which came away to Manchester City, Aaron Wan-Bissaka started at left back, with Max Kilman and Jean Clair Tobido at centre-back. Vladimir Coufal was at right back, replacing the injured Emerson. Tobido was replaced with Konstantinos Mavropanos due to an injury during the match.
Under a 4-2-3-1, Edson Alvarez and Tomas Soucek started as CDMs, with Guido Rodriguez making odd appearances here and there. Rodriguez has made 17 appearances for West Ham so far but is yet to score or gain an assist. Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus are the three constants in attacking roles. Carlos Soler who had replaced Paqueta as a CAM was suspended for their last match. Crysencio Summerville has also fitted into this role recently.
Niklas Fullkrug has made appearances up front for the Hammers after coming on as a substitute. He has two goal involvements in nine appearances since joining from Dortmund. Albeit, the German striker has been injured for most of the season.
West Ham Recent Form
Lopetegui was brought in to obtain European football for West Ham. However, after a dismal start to the season, and just three wins in their last ten matches, he was sacked. West Ham’s last match came away to Manchester City, where they lost 4-1. This match came just a week after West Ham lost 5-0 at home to Liverpool where the hosts failed to register a single shot on target. In this match, Liverpool had 22 shots, 13 of which were on target.
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Their match prior to this was a 1-0 win against Southampton, who were under the management of Ivan Juric for the first time. It was an even contest, but a Bowen strike from close range gave West Ham all three points. The Hammers currently sit 14th in the league.
West Ham Injuries To Consider
Potter will have four injuries to consider. Both Michail Antonio and Fabianski will be long-term absences after their respective injuries. Antonio is unlikely to play again for the remainder of this season.
As for Emerson, he is a doubt for the match and could return in the Hammers midweek home clash against Fulham. Bowen looks to be out until early March with a foot injury.
West Ham Predicted Lineup vs Aston Villa
GK – Areola
LB – Coufal
CB – Kilman
CB – Mavropanos
RB – Wan-Bissaka
CM – Paqueta
CM – Alvarez
LW – Kudus
CM – Soler
RW – Summerville
ST – Fullkrug
