David Moyes will make four changes for the FA Cup match against Bristol City, and one West Ham player might be starting for the very final time.
Tuesday night at Ashton Gate, there will be an FA Cup third round rematch between West Ham and Championship team Bristol City.
Even though the game is on BBC One, almost 3,000 Hammers supporters will fill the away section on this cold night.
David Moyes, the manager of West Ham, is faced with a difficult decision about team selection for the game.
Does Moyes start his underperforming backups who haven’t impressed this season and last because a number of important stars are out of the picture?
The West Ham player’s final start ever?
Or does he include a few of the extremely gifted young academy players from West Ham?
Bristol City’s 1-1 tie with the Hammers at the London Stadium demonstrated their physicality.
Thus, some may consider the latter to be too risky.
Nayef Aguerd and Mohammed Kudus are not accessible because they are at AFCON.
Additionally, injuries will prevent Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta from playing in the game.
When Divin Mubama took Paqueta’s position in the opening game, he had trouble. And following the game, Moyes praised Danny Ings, calling him “the best player on the pitch when he came on,” for his second-half cameo.
Ings has been linked with a move away from West Ham having flopped since joining for £15m a year ago this week.
Moyes modifies Bristol City in four ways.
However, it has been postponed until West Ham is able to regain some of its forward players; Bowen is anticipated to play this weekend against Sheffield United.
After suffering an injury in the first game as well, Konstantinos Mavropanos has returned to practice and is ready to play. However, Vladimir Coufal, who also suffered an injury against the Robins, has returned to training but is reportedly doubtful because of a small knock.
We believe that the West Ham player’s potential final start may come as Moyes makes four changes for Bristol City.
Ings might be the one to replace Paqueta in what will probably be his final start for the Hammers.
In the meanwhile, Maxwel Cornet ought to replace Bowen because Said Benrahma is rumored to be the target of a Marseille proposal.
In the event that Coufal is truly out, Ben Johnson should step in.
Doubts from Alvarez might indicate a fifth shift.
Kurt Zouma, the captain, is notorious for his inability to play two games back-to-back.
Therefore, we believe that Moyes will substitute Angelo Ogbonna for Zouma with an eye toward the Premier League encounter against Sheffield United.
Edson Alvarez may be a doubt because he hasn’t been spotted practicing in the days before the game.
If he doesn’t make it, Pablo Fornals will play center, and Mubama will likely start.
Predicted West Ham starting XI to face Bristol City with Alvarez (four changes):
Fabianski, Johnson, Mavropanos, Ogbonna, Emerson, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Fornals, Cornet, Ings.
Predicted West Ham starting XI to face Bristol City without Alvarez (five changes):
Fabianski, Johnson, Mavropanos, Ogbonna, Emerson, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Fornals, Mubama, Cornet, Ings.
