West Ham travels to Belgium this week to take on Belgian side Anderlecht. This fixture is actually a rematch of the 1976 Cup Winners Cup final. Anderlecht was successful that day, winning 4-2. That result, almost 50 years ago, was Anderlecht’s first major European trophy success.
The Hammers will try everything to prevent a repeat of that result and keep their 100% record on the continent alive. West Ham picked up a much needed win in the Premier League prior to this match and will hope to take that momentum into this fixture.
Anderlecht is having a torrid time in the Belgian Pro league so far this season.
The Purple and White sit in tenth place on the table, some 14 points behind league leaders Royal Antwerp.
West Ham at Anderlecht FYIs
Kick-Off: Thurs. Oct 6, 2022, at 5.45 pm UK at Lotto Park
Competition: UECL Group B, Matchday 3 of 6
West Ham team news: Go Here
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple
UCL Group Standings: Anderlecht: 2nd, 4pts West Ham: 1st, 6pts
Starting XI Prediction
West Ham will probably pull some heavy rotation in this fixture. It is something that has worked for them in the early stages of the competition, so I don’t see them changing for this match. A win here could almost guarantee them passage to the next phase of the Conference League.
Here is how we think The Irons will start against Anderlecht this Thursday
GK- Areola
DEF- Coufal, Dawson, Zouma, Palmieri
MID- Rice, Soucek, Fornals
ATT- Benrahma, Antonio, Lanzini
Match Prediction
It’s funny, because if this was a Premier League fixture I’d have some hesitation in picking West Ham. But it’s not and I don’t have any hesitation in saying West Ham will win this one comfortably. They are just a different beast on the continent this year. West Ham 3-0
Stuart Kavanagh is a journalist currently residing in Broken Hill, Australia. He writes for the Barrier Truth newspaper, along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, He co-hosts the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast and contributes at edgeofthecrowd.com when time permits. He is also the Media & Communications Director at the Newosis Mental Health Foundation. You can find more about what the Newosis Mental Health Foundation is about here.
Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.