Tomorrow brings a series of firsts for West Ham United. It is the first match, albeit not a competitive one, for new manager Julen Lopetegui. The Lopetegui era beckons with a trip to Austria, to take on Hungarian club Ferencváros. Monday night could also see the West Ham debuts of new summer signings Wes Foderingham, Maximilian Kilman and Luis Guilherme.
In other words, this is no ordinary friendly, although it is admittedly flying under the radar.
Club Friendly FYIs
Ferencváros v West Ham United
Kickoff: Sportstadion Langau, Austria, Monday, July 15, 2024, 4 pm local
Fun Fact: Ferencváros, formed in 1899, are 35-time top-flight Hungarian champions
Starting XI Prediction: We won’t be doing one for this match, because there just isn’t enough information out there to make one that would likely be accurate.
West Ham Team News
Also keep an eye on the latest developments surrounding the Jhon Duran transfer narrative. With Colombia’s Copa America campaign ending later today, there could be some movement on this soon. Speaking of international duty, all West Ham players who featured at the Copa, or the Euros (or happen to still be there) are not available for selection here.
Everyone needs a holiday! However, there will be a host of first team squad members available for this one. Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, forwards Mohammed Kudus and Danny Ings, central defender Kurt Zouma and midfielder James Ward-Prowse and could all be in the mix to feature.
Most likely we will see a couple/few if them from the opening kick.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also 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.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.