Vital Hammers News

Fan favourite predicted to miss out when West Ham travel to Tottenham

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We travel to North London on Saturday searching for our first win in five games, but the Express have predicted that we will not start the match with Manuel Lanzini on the pitch.

The newspaper have noted that the fan favourite Argentine is a likely absentee, alongside perennial treatment room regulars Andy Carroll and Andriy Yarmolenko, when we face Spurs due to various injuries striking our ranks once more.

That also goes for Samir Nasri, who could make the bench depending on a late fitness test, leaving Robert Snodgrass to step into the centre of our attacking midfield line-up once again.

As such, the Express also predict that our wings will be occupied by Felipe Anderson and Michail Antonio, with Declan Rice and Mark Noble anchoring the midfield behind a solitary striker.

Despite going a tenth Premier League appearance without a goal, that job is projected to fall to Marko Arnautovic, with Javier Hernandez again a doubt to feature from the start.

Aaron Cresswell’s role is also in question, as the Express doubt he will be able to prove that his fitness is up to scratch in time, leaving Arthur Masuaku pencilled in for the left-back spot, having faired respectably well against Manchester United and Leicester City.

Our right-back to challenge Mauricio Pochettino’s Champions League hopefuls, however, is more up in the air, as is our second centre-back, with Fabian Balbuena expected to start.

The Express in their predicted XI have opted for Angelo Ogbonna and Pablo Zabaleta for the respective positions, which would move our veteran Argentine onto 24 starts this season.

Facing off against the Foxes last week would have seen Zabaleta earn another one-year stay in East London, as the Premier League winning defender held an automatic extension clause which triggered upon his 23rd start in the league this term.

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