David Moyes looks set to make eight West Ham changes for Watford as big man Michail Antonio returns to the side.
West Ham face the Hornets as the Premier League resumes at the London Stadium.
It is a big game for both teams but for very different reasons.
West Ham will want a return to winning ways in order to keep pace with the race for the European places.
And Watford need every single point they can get in a bid to avoid relegation.
Moyes’s side go into the game off the back of consecutive Premier League defeats and having only just scraped past National League North side Kidderminster in the FA Cup last time out.
West Ham’s squad depth has been criticised since that game.
And Moyes will obviously look to field the strongest possible West Ham team available to him at the London Stadium.
As a result the Scot looks set to make eight changes from the side which started against Kiddy when Watford come to east London.
Predicted: David Moyes makes eight West Ham changes for Watford as big man Michail Antonio returns
Ahead of the game Moyes confirmed Lukasz Fabianski remains West Ham’s number one (Football.London). He will therefore come back in for Alphonse Areola who was at fault for the Kidderminster goal but has – on the whole – been excellent when he plays for the Hammers.
Vladimir Coufal will come back in at right-back for Ryan Fredericks, who was awful in the last match.
Craig Dawson comes back in and will effectively replace Kurt Zouma if – as reported by the likes of The Evening Standard – he is banished for this match for obvious reasons.
Issa Diop looks sure to retain his place in central defence. It would be a almighty reprieve for Diop who has been abysmal, particularly in his last two outings and West Ham fans will point to Moyes’s lack of options as a result of the club’s failure to sign another defender last month.
Hammers News has called for young left-footed centre back academy star Aji Alese to start instead.
The next change will be Aaron Cresswell coming in for Ben Johnson.
In midfield Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek replace Alex Kral and Mark Noble.
Said Benrahma stays in and will start on the left-hand side while Pablo Fornals comes in for Nikola Vlasic with Manuel Lanzini injured.
The eighth and final change will see West Ham’s big man Michail Antonio return to the side, taking the place of Andriy Yarmolenko, with Jarrod Bowen reverting to his usual wide right forward role.
In all honesty after the weekend’s performance this West Ham team very much picks itself bar Diop.
Predicted West Ham starting XI to face Watford:
Fabianski, Coufal, Dawson, Diop, Cresswell, Rice, Soucek, Fornals, Benrahma, Bowen, Antonio.
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