Hammers boss David Moyes looks set to make five West Ham changes and put one of his stars in the striker role for Arsenal.
How do you predict the unpredictable? Well that’s the difficulty of trying to second guess Moyes’s West Ham team selections right now.
With the huge Europa League semi-final second leg in Frankfurt looking large on the horizon of Sunday’s clash with Arsenal, changes will almost certainly be made.
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Last time out in the Premier League, Moyes rested five key players including the likes of Declan Rice, Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen.
Kurt Zouma came back into the team after injury for the first leg against Frankfurt.
Ideally he would not be risked against Arsenal but given Craig Dawson is suspended, Moyes may not have much choice.
Moyes could elect to play Rice at centre-back for the Gunners or bring in young academy defender Aji Alese. Perhaps even both.
With Arsenal the British beef sandwiched in between two Frankfurters, it is almost impossible to say with any surety what Moyes will do.
But we think Moyes makes five West Ham changes and puts star Jarrod Bowen in the striker role for Arsenal.
Predicted: David Moyes makes five West Ham changes and puts star in striker role for Arsenal
The first will see former Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski come back into the West Ham team to face his old club.
Fabianski is Moyes’s number one this season and will replace Europa League and cup goalkeeper Alphonse Areola in goal.
With Dawson suspended, Moyes will switch to a back five for Arsenal with Vladimir Coufal coming in at right-wingback in the second change.
Ben Johnson will then switch to right centre-back with Aaron Cresswell at left centre-back either side of Zouma.
Arthur Masuaku will come in at left wingback in place of Pablo Fornals in the third change.
Rice will be replaced by captain Mark Noble in a fourth change from the side which started against Frankfurt. He will be accompanied by Manuel Lanzini and Tomas Soucek in central midfield.
Said Benrahma will come back in to replace Michail Antonio in the fifth and final change.
And that will see Jarrod Bowen starting but pushed up front as West Ham’s striker against Arsenal.
Other variations could see Zouma rested and Rice play as the centre-back.
Or indeed Alese and Zouma or Alese and Rice should Moyes give the youngster his big chance.
There is just so much to consider for Moyes. If trying to pick out a predicted team is this difficult imagine how the Scot feels doing the real thing.
Predicted West Ham starting XI to face Arsenal:
Fabianski, Coufal, Johnson, Zouma, Cresswell, Masuaku, Soucek, Noble, Lanzini, Benrahma, Bowen.