West Ham United travel to Burnley on Sunday looking to bring the curtain down on 2018 in style.
The Hammers have won five of their six games so far in December.
That in itself is a new club record in terms of points in a single Premier League month.
Squad rotation despite glut of injuries
It comes despite Manuel Pellegrini nursing a league-worst injury list.
West Ham are missing 10 players with Manuel Lanzini, Andriy Yarmolenko, Jack Wilshere, Winston Reid and more recently Marko Arnautovic the most notable.
Arnautovic could give Pellegrini a welcome boost by returning from injury earlier than expected for the game at Turf Moor.
And the Chilean looks set to make as many as four changes to the team which started the 2-1 win over Southampton last time out as he rotates his squad for the busy festive schedule.
Dilemma dictated by Zabaleta fitness
Zabaleta missed the Southampton game through illness but will come back into the side if he recovers in time.
If he does return Michail Antonio will move up to replace the disappointing Grady Diangana on the right of midfield.
As a result Mark Noble will come in for Pedro Obiang to help with what promises to be a bruising midfield battle against the Clarets.
If Zabaleta doesn’t make it, Antonio will continue to fill in at right back. That will then see Noble coming in for Diangana and Robert Snodgrass moving across to the right hand side with Obiang keeping his place.
Marko Arnautovic in for Lucas Perez
If Arnie is fit to return he will likely take the place of Perez, who along with Diangana was West Ham’s poorest performer at Southampton.
Perez did little to justify his start and missed two golden chances and otherwise offered little threat.
Predicted West Ham XI to face Burnley:
Fabianski, Zabaleta, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Antonio, Noble, Rice, Snodgrass, Anderson, Arnautovic.
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