David Moyes makes one West Ham change for Saints from the last league match as he deals with two big selection dilemmas.
After three long weeks without a Premier League game, West Ham face a huge relegation six-pointer against Southampton at the London Stadium.
And the stakes could not be much higher.
Win and West Ham can go 14th. Lose and the Hammers will find themselves replacing the Saints at at the bottom of the table.
The game kicks off a do or die spell of nine games in 27 days for West Ham.
Managing the squad expertly – and key players avoiding injury – will be key to West Ham avoiding the drop and continuing their European adventure.
Speaking ahead of the Saints clash, Moyes gave a worrying update on £80m trio Nayef Aguerd, Emerson and Gianluca Scamacca.
But Aguerd and Emerson were thankfully pictured training ahead of the game in a mammoth boost.
Scamacca was not so it is safe to assume, given his issue is the knee which kept him out for two months at the start of the year, he won’t feature.
With Maxwel Cornet back, Michail Antonio, Vladimir Coufal and Lukasz Fabianski all available, the manager faces something of a welcome headache choosing his team to play Southampton.
We predict Moyes makes one West Ham change for Saints from the last league match as he deals with two big selection dilemmas.
Moyes must decide whether to stick with Alphonse Areola in goal and Danny Ings up front with Fabianski and Antonio back.
When West Ham played the relegation six-pointer against Forest in February, Ings started with Antonio coming on in the second half.
That worked well with Ings getting a brace before Antonio came on and looked better against a tiring defence as he also scored.
Moyes has made it clear he feels he has two number one goalkeepers in Fabianski and Areola. And he points to the fact Fabianski rarely lets West Ham down as the reason why he has been the starting goalkeeper in the Premier League.
Predicted: David Moyes makes one West Ham change for Saints from last league match as he deals with two big selection dilemmas
So by that rationale, he will stick with Areola between the sticks against Saints.
Up front we think he will also stick with Ings against his former club, following the same format as the Forest win.
The one change we believe Moyes will make comes at right back with fit again Coufal coming in for Thilo Kehrer.
West Ham legend Tony Gale said he could not believe Kehrer is a German international after what he saw in the draw with Villa last time out in the Prem.
Said Benrahma always faces a fight for his place and will be another in the spotlight.
But a recent Benrahma revelation proves West Ham create and score more goals with him in the side.
Predicted West Ham starting XI to face Southampton:
Areola, Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson, Rice, Soucek, Paqueta, Benrahma, Bowen, Ings.
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