West Ham United suffered a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final. They next lock horns with Fulham in the Premier League this weekend. Though a win will take them nowhere in the domestic league, it will still be a crucial game for them.
The Hammers will look to return to winning colours and build confidence ahead of the second leg next week. With home support and better strategies, the English side might be able to overturn things against the Bundesliga toppers.
4-2-3-1 West Ham United Predicted Lineup Vs Fulham
Defence
Lukasz Fabianski will be the man with the gloves for West Ham United. Despite conceding two goals against Bayer Leverkusen, he dropped an impressive performance. If not for his blocks, the scoreline could’ve been humiliating. Vladimir Coufal should continue operating as the right-back in the side.
While Kurt Zouma gets retained as the centre-back, expect Konstantinos Mavropanos to accompany him in place of Aaron Cresswell. The latter defender had a tough time in the midweek game. No change at the left-back spot as Emerson continues there.
Midfield
Edson Alvarez is expected to return after having served the ban in the Europa League. He will form the holding midfield duo with Thomas Soucek.
James Ward-Prowse should be playing high on the pitch again alongside Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta in the wide areas.
Attack
Michail Antonio will continue leading the offensive pack in the absence of Jarrod Bowen. The latter attacker is unlikely to get fit for this contest due to a rib injury.
Antonio dropped a solid performance against the Bundesliga leaders despite what the result suggests. He held the ball well to build attacks whenever possible.
Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and midfielder Kalvin Phillips are the other two confirmed absentees for the Hammers.
