Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham United haven’t been in the best of form in recent weeks and will be hoping to put an end to that by beating the newly-promoted Sheffield United. Unless the Hammers do pick up maximum points at the London Stadium, they would then have gone the whole month of October without winning a game in the Premier League. With the London side’s last win in all competitions coming against Manchester United at the end of September, they will be eager to put an end to this terrible drought.
Having lost to Marco Silva’s out of form Everton side last week, Pellegrini’s men will be eager to put things right again. Although the gritty nature of Chris Wilder’s team will cause them problems, West Ham have more than enough quality to reverse this situation. The presence of a talismanic striker in Sebastian Haller has undoubtedly boosted their hopes of a European finish this season as well.
Team News
One of the most important misses for Manuel Pellegrini’s side this season will be veteran goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. Despite successfully completing surgery, the Polish shot-stopper isn’t expected to return to first-team action at least until the turn of the year. Michael Antonio is another crucial name set to miss out with a thigh problem. Considering that no return date has been issued, it’s apparent that he won’t be available for this tie.
Veteran defender Winston Reid is another player missing out through injury, having tweaked his knee multiple times over the last few weeks. Aaron Cresswell could make his return to the first-team this week after a groin problem.
Formation: 4-1-4-1
Defence
Aaron Cresswell’s imminent return to match fitness will be viewed as extremely positive news by Manuel Pellegrini, who is still hunting for his first league win in October. He is expected to return to the starting lineup to play alongside Angelo Ogbonna, on the left side of the defence. Next to Ogbonna, expect to see the familiar face of rising star Issa Diop. The Hammers defence is set to be rounded up by the strong physical presence of English speedster Ryan Fredricks.
Midfield
Declan Rice was one of the Premier League’s breakout stars from last season. Since making a place for himself in the Hammers starting lineup, he is yet to look back. Unfazed by the presence of so many experienced heads within the squad, the youngster, who is an England international now as well, has been nothing short of a revelation. Formerly of Chelsea, his intuitive understanding of the Hammers’ style of play, has been one of their absolute highlights this year.
In front of the strong midfield anchor, expect to see the familiar face of Mark ‘Mr. WestHam’ Noble. The Englishman, alongside Manuel Lanzini, has been quite effective this season as well. Despite Noble’s age, the quality of his football just doesn’t seem to drop. They will be supported from the flanks by Brazilian Felipe Anderson and the returning Andriy Yarmolenko, who will provide the Hammers with a solid amount of width going forward.
Attack
Sebastien Haller has, unquestionably, been a massive upgrade of the Hammers’ last prolific goalscorer – Marko Arnautovic. The Austrian’s spell at the London Stadium was filled with ups and downs, which eventually led to his departure. But in Haller, they seem to have picked an excellent replacement. Able to use to strength and physicality to bully opponents and maintain possession, the Frenchman has been a shining light in the West Ham United side this term and is effectively guaranteed a place in the team.
