West Ham United will play hosts to Tottenham Hotspur at the London Stadium on Wednesday night hoping to earn a place in the next round of the EFL Cup. The Hammers managed to secure a deserved draw against Leicester City despite playing over an hour with ten men. So this weekend’s performance would give them some much-needed confidence going into this clash versus Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs.
The away side will just have two days to prepare for this League Cup encounter which should give West Ham an upper hand in midweek. Manuel Pellegrini is expected to opt for a 4-1-4-1 formation and might name a few first-team regulars in his starting XI because of all the recent injuries.
4-1-4-1 West Ham United Predicted Lineup To Face Tottenham Hotspur
Defence
Adrian will start in goal for the Hammers after eagerly waiting for his chance while playing second fiddle to Łukasz Fabiański this season. The Spanish goalie might be shielded by the defensive pair of Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop who might strike up a solid partnership in central defence for Pellegrini’s side.
Ryan Fredericks will operate as the right-back while Aaron Cresswell features on the left side of the West Ham backline. The Hammers defenders will be hoping that Tottenham rests some of their star players as guarding Harry Kane could pose a big problem for them on Wednesday night.
Midfield
Declan Rice will retain his place in midfield as he looks to play as a deep-lying, holding midfielder. The youngster has arguably been Pellegrini’s best player this season, so this could serve as another opportunity for him to shine. Mark Noble is suspended for this clash after picking up a red card against Leicester City so the duo of Robert Snodgrass and Conor Coventry could start ahead of Rice at the centre of the park.
Felipe Anderson could get a nod to start on the left flank as West Ham are currently going through a mini injury crisis. Grady Diangana is expected to feature down the right wing as the youngster looks to impress in front of the Hammers faithful inside the London Stadium.
Attack
Michail Antonio will lead the lines for the East London club up top with both Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez being major doubts for this League Cup encounter. The English forward will look to use his pace to cause problems for the Tottenham defenders in midweek.
