Predicted West Ham Line-up To Face Bolton Wanderers In The EFL Cup
West Ham United will welcome Championship side Bolton Wanderers to the London Stadium, as they clash in the third round of the Carabao EFL Cup.
The Hammers are on the path to revive their season, after a poor start, and come into the game on the back of a goalless draw against West Bromwich Albion over the weekend. They defeated lower league opponents Cheltenham Town 2-0 in the second round of the competition and manager Slaven Bilic will be hoping to achieve a similar outcome against Bolton.
Team News
Defender James Collins is likely to miss out after he was taken off injured against the Baggies. Midfielders Edimilson Fernandes and Mark Noble are still a doubt for the game, so is playmaker Manuel Lanzini.
Here’s how the East Londoners will line up against the Wanderers on Tuesday night:
Manager: Slaven Bilic
Formation: 3-4-3
Adrian (GK)
The designated goalie for the cup games, Adrian should make his second appearance of the season, starting against Bolton.
Jose Fonte (CB)
The Portuguese defender should keep his place as one of the three centre-halves in the line-up for the Hammers.
Winston Reid (CB)
The Kiwi defender is the most solid of all the options available to Bilic and could start again at the heart of the defence on Tuesday.
Angelo Ogbonna (CB)
With James Collins set to miss out due to an ankle problem, the former Juventus man will return to the starting XI against Bolton.
Sam Byram (RWB)
The 24-year old might slot in as the right-sided wing-back for West Ham, with veteran defender Pablo Zabaleta dropping out of the team.
Cheikhou Kouyate (CM)
The Senegalese midfielder should retain his place in the middle of the park, as he works towards getting back to his full-flowing best.
Declan Rice (CM)
The other central midfield spot will most likely be taken up by youngster Declan Rice, with Pedro Obiang making way for him.
Arthur Masuaku (LWB)
Another change expected, as Aaron Cresswell drops to the bench to accommodate Arthur Masuaku as the left-sided wing-back on Tuesday night.
Andre Ayew (RF)
The Ghanaian forward scored in the previous cup tie against Cheltenham and could get the nod on the right-hand side of the attacking trident.
Diafra Sakho (ST)
The other scorer from the 2-0 win over Cheltenham, Sakho is very much likely to feature from the get go on Tuesday, with Andy Carroll moving out.
Marko Arnautovic (LF)
The club record signing made his return from suspension this past weekend from the bench and could be in line for a start against Bolton.