West Ham finds themselves in the midst of an incredible run of form. The Irons have won their last five matches and conceded only one goal whilst doing so. A victory in Belgium over KRC Genk would secure a spot in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Europa League.
David Moyes has a fully fit squad, so I expect some heavy rotation in this one with one eye on the Premier League fixture with Liverpool in the Premier League at the weekend. A victory at the weekend over the Reds would see West Ham head into the international break in the top 3.
But enough about the Premier League. Let’s have a look at how the Hammers might just lineup Thursday night in Belgium against KRC Genk.
KRC Genk vs West Ham FYIs:
Kick-off time: 6.45 PM GMT, 4 November, Thursday
West Ham Team News: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): West Ham (WWWWW) KRC Genk (LLWWW)
In the goalkeeper position, Alphonse Areola will assume the position between the posts. He is an incredibly talented gloveman and it speaks volumes about the depth the Hammers have that he is their cup competition ‘keeper this year.
Lukasz Fabianski will take a well-earned rest for this one.
In the same way, Areola is the cup goalkeeper, Issa Diop, and Craig Dawson are the cup center-back pairing. The pair both found the back of the net in the home fixture against the same opposition at the Olympic Stadium. These two would definitely be starters for most other Premer League squads and speaks volumes about the depth West Ham has in this position.
At right full-back, I expect Vladimir Coufal to start, marking his full return to match fitness. On the left-hand side, I’m going to go for Arthur Masuaku. Aaron Cresswell has played a lot of football recently and I expect David Moyes to give him a rest in this one to keep him fresh for the Liverpool clash.
Mark Noble will likely make a start in one of the defensive midfield pivots. I think this might be the perfect fixture to give Declan Rice a rest, so expect him to be partnered with Tomas Soucek.
Just ahead of those two will be Manuel Lanzini. His selection will allow rest for Pablo Fornals who has been nothing short of sensational this season. Not a bad backup option at all.
One or two of the regular attacking trio will need to be rested in this fixture. I think it will likely be Said Benrahama and Michail Antonio who miss this one. That leaves Jarrod Bowen to lead the line. He has done so a few times this season and did so in the home fixture against this same opposition. Flanking him will likely be Nikola Vlasic on the left and Andriy Yarmolenko on the right.
Every time I write about this West Ham side, I am constantly impressed with the incredible depth of their squad.
This backup team should easily account for KRC Genk and book their spot in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Europa League.