Predicted West Ham United Lineup To Face Manchester United On The Opening Day Of The Premier League Campaign
West Ham United will kick off their Premier League 2017/18 campaign with a trip to Old Trafford, to face Manchester United on Sunday evening.
The Hammers endured a below par campaign last time around and will be keen on improving their outcomes this time around. Slaven Bilic has gone in and brought proven and tested personnel into the squad this transfer window, unlike last time. He will be hoping that his team can put up a much better fight this season.
Team News
There are a number of injury issues for the Hammers to deal with, as key personnel like Michail Antonio, Andy Carrol and Cheikhou Kouyate are unavailable for the tie, along with Sofiane Feghouli and Diafra Sakho. Defender Aaron Cresswell and creative midfielder Manuel Lanzini are also slight doubts due to injuries.
Manager: Slaven Bilic
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Joe Hart (GK)
The England No.1 will look to resurrect his career after completing a tough loan spell at Torino last campaign.
Pablo Zabaleta (RB)
The former Manchester City man joined the club for free earlier this summer. Will add his wealth of experience to the backline, starting at right-back.
Winston Reid (CB)
A proverbial rock at the back, the New Zealand international is the leader of this West Ham defence and should start against the Red Devils.
Angelo Ogbonna (CB)
Reid is likely to be partnered by Italian Angelo Ogbonna at the centre of the defence. The former Juventus defender missed a large chunk of last season due to injury, but has come back strongly in the pre-season.
Arthur Masuaku (LB)
Another player who missed long phases of the previous term due to injuries, Masuaku will get the nod at Old Trafford, with Cresswell being a doubt for the clash.
Mark Noble (CM)
The captain will start the game against Jose Mourinho’s men in the middle of the park. Did not have the best of the campaigns last time around and will need to pull his weight this season.
Pedro Obiang (CM)
Noble is likely to be partnered by Spaniard Pedro Obiang. The midfielder was one of the better performers for the Hammers last term and Bilic will be hoping for more of the same from him this time around as well.
Robert Snodgrass (RW)
With both Antonio and Feghouli ruled out, Bilic will not have a choice but to field Snodgrass in the starting XI. The Scotsman has had a difficult spell since his January move, but will be hoping to start off strongly this time around.
Andre Ayew (CAM)
The Ghanaian attacker hasn’t been consistent since his move to East London. A lot will be expected from him coming into the season. And with Lanzini a doubt for the contest, he will need to shoulder the creative responsibilities.
Marko Arnautovic (LW)
The club-record signing will take up the left-hand side of the attacking line. Will be hoping to kick things off with a good display in order to justify the price tag.
Javier Hernandez (ST)
Homecoming for the Mexican as he will return to where his European footballing journey began, albeit playing for the opposite side this time around. He is surely going to score at the Old Trafford, isn’t he?
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