West Ham United are set to take on Birmingham City in their next outing in the third round of the FA Cup. The Hammers snatched a point in a heavily contested match against Brighton and Hove Albion in their last game in the Premier League and would look to get back to winning ways when they take on the Blues.
Birmingham City, on the other hand, also clinched a draw in their last outing in the Championship against Sheffield Wednesday. The Blues are having a decent season and would look to surprise West Ham United in their own backyard.
Team News
West Ham United have endured a tough time so far as injuries are concerned with as many as six first-team players out of the side. Javier Hernandez, Manuel Lanzini, Jack Wilshere, Andriy Yarmolenko, Carlos Sanchez and Ryan Fredericks are all sidelined for a long time. Fabian Balbuena is recovering and would be assessed ahead of the clash against Birmingham City.
Goalkeeper
Lukasz Fabianski would get a well-deserved rest with Adrian starting in the goal for the Hammers in their next outing.
Defence
Pablo Zabaleta would start in the right-back role while Arthur Masuaku would get the nod ahead of Aaron Cresswell to start on the left side of the defence. Reece Oxford would begin in the heart of the backline alongside Angelo Ogbonna.
Midfield
Grady Diangana and Pedro Obiang would start in the middle of the pitch for the Hammers as Declan Rice would get some rest. They would be accompanied by Michail Antonio, who begins on the right of the midfield. Samir Nasri might get his first start of the season, and he would be deployed on the left-hand side of the midfield.
Attack
Lucas Perez would replace Marko Arnautovic to lead the line against Birmingham City as the Austrian gets a well-deserved rest after his heroics against Brighton. In the absence of Javier Hernandez, Andy Carroll would accompany the Spaniard in taking the attack to the opposition.
Predicted Formation: 4-4-2
