West Ham desperately need to win against Sunderland in Saturday’s early Premier League kick off.
Though the London Stadium is hardly a fortress, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side really must win their home games if they are to remain in the Premier League.
Indeed, West Ham versus Sunderland will not be easy but the Black Cats are in very poor form on the road.
Why would we keep an unhappy player 😂
What does this tell you about the decision making behind the scenes?!
As such, West Ham can take a relative amount of confidence into the game, particularly after the late win over Tottenham last weekend.
Nuno has already confirmed that Lucas Paqueta will not play for West Ham against Sunderland, having again stressed that they are assessing his back injury.
It is difficult to ignore the ongoing speculation about the Brazilian’s future, however.
Confirmed West Ham XI to play Sunderland
Ollie Scarles keeps his place at left-back despite Malick Diouf’s return from the Africa Cup of Nations. The Senegal international is on the bench here.
It is the same team who started against Tottenham last weekend, with no place in the starting lineup for match-winner Callum Wilson.
The team news is in and JWP returns!
How do you feel about the game now? A JWP free-kick winner would be SCENES 😂
Wilson starts on the bench, alongside a certain James Ward-Prowse.
It is surprising to see Ward-Prowse back in the squad given his total lack of action under Nuno but it is perhaps explained by the recent sale of Andy Irving to Sparta Prague.
It is the first time that the former Southampton midfielder is part of a West Ham squad since way back in September.
West Ham XI vs Sunderland: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Mavropanos, Scarles; Soucek, Fernandes; Bowen, Pablo, Summerville; Taty
Subs: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Ward-Prowse, Wilson, Diouf, Magassa, Potts, Kante
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