West Ham United are back in European competition- huzzah! Although it’s not the UEFA competition they wanted to be in, the Champions League, it’s still a major step in the right direction for the Hammers, who commence their Europa League campaign with a group stage clash at Dinamo Zagreb in Group H.
Let’s preview the east London side’s trip to Croatia on Thursday night, where they will take on that country’s top flight champions in UEL action.
West Ham United at Dinamo Zagreb FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs Sept 16, 5:45 GMT, Maksimir Stadium
TV: BT Sport
Odds: West Ham United win 6/5 Draw 5/2 Dinamo Zagreb win 23/10
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (France)
Assistant Referees: Guillaume Debart and Benjamin Pages (France)
Team News
Arthur Masuaku is the Irons’ only injury concern here as the DR Congo international continues his convalescence from a knee injury.
He has featured in Premier League 2 already and he’s resumed training with the first team. Other than that, everybody else should be available.
David Moyes and West Ham had a great summer transfer window, and this match could see him hand a debut in a WHU shirt to some of them. One of the summer buys, former Chelsea man Kurt Zouma, is likely ready to supplant Craig Dawson as one of the first choice central defenders.
Here’s the rest of our first team prediction.
West Ham United Starting XI Prediction vs Dinamo Zagreb
Alphonse Areola; Aaron Cresswell, Angelo Ogbonna, Kurt Zouma, Vladimir Coufal; Thomas Soucek, Declan Rice; Nikola Vlasic; Pablo Fornals, Jarrod Bowen; Michael Antonio
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
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