West Ham United will clash heads with Southampton at St. Mary’s on Wednesday night, hoping to pick up a win in the fifth round of the FA Cup competition. The Hammers will be heading into the contest on the back of a narrow 1-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, whereas the Saints recorded a 2-0 victory over Norwich City on February 26.
Team News
Vladimir Coufal is side-lined after undergoing groin surgery, while Angelo Ogbonna (ACL) is out for the rest of the season.
Ryan Fredericks picked up a groin strain during the Hammers’ 1-1 draw with Newcastle United, so he remains doubtful for the midweek clash.
“Ryan picked up a groin strain, not too bad, but we have Ben who is a young and progressing player and we are trying to develop him and he has done really really well in two or three different positions left-back, right-back and done well and we like him a lot and let’s hope he continues to make progress.” – David Moyes told Football. London.
The Scottish tactician will probably opt for his usual 4-2-3-1 formation against Southampton; however, he is expected to make a couple of changes from the last game for the upcoming away encounter as Nikola Vlasic and Said Benrahma look likely to make their way back into the starting eleven.
4-2-3-1 West Ham United Predicted Lineup Vs Southampton
Defence
Alphonse Areola might operate in between the sticks for the away side. The France international will hope to put up a strong performance and secure a clean sheet on Wednesday.
Craig Dawson will form the customary centre-half partnership with Kurt Zouma at the heart of West Ham’s backline.
Ben Johnson should be a starter at the right wing-back spot, whereas Aaron Cresswell will start on the other flank as the left wing-back. Up against Wolves, the full-backs will be expected to stay compact defensively.
Midfield
Tomas Soucek will continue to feature alongside Declan Rice in the holding midfield position, with the latter being assigned with more of a defensive role to shield the away side’s back-four.
Said Benrahma will slot in the attacking midfield position to complete the midfield trio. The Algeria international will be determined to engineer some clear-cut goal scoring chances for the front men.
Manuel Lanzini will have to settle for a place on the bench but might come in the latter stages of the game if needed.
Attack
Nikola Vlasic and Jarrod Bowen are expected to take up the wide positions, playing on the left and right-wing respectively.
Michail Antonio is expected to lead the line for the hosts against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men in midweek. The Englishman will be hoping to make the most of his chances when he faces off against the Saints defence that has conceded four goals in their last five matches across all competitions.
