West Ham will face KRC Genk in their third Europa League game on Thursday, as manager David Moyes prepares to rotate the squad
Following two wins out of two in this season’s Europa League campaign, the Hammers sit at the top of Group H with six points and two clean sheets.
Now West Ham must face Belgian side Genk, who most recently lost 3-0 to Dinamo Zagreb last time out.
With this in mind, we take a look at who Moyes could field ahead of our mid-week tie…
GK: Alphonse Areola
West Ham loanee Alphonse Areola is expected to make his third appearance for the club on Thursday, replacing Lukasz Fabianski in goal.
Areola has performed exceptionally well in both of his games so far, keeping two clean sheets, and Moyes should trust him enough to play him this time.
RB: Vladimir Coufal
After sitting out the international break to help focus on recovering from injury, Vladimir Coufal is back in full training and should be ready to play again.
This could be the perfect opportunity to build some more match fitness after a few weeks off, and will most likely return to the side against Genk.
CB: Craig Dawson
Veteran defender Craig Dawson could return to the starting lineup for this Europa League fixture. He featured in the Hammers’ 2-0 win over Rapid Wien last time out and performed well to keep a clean sheet.
Despite being dropped from the first team line-up after a shaky start to the season, Moyes is likely to give him some more minutes on Thursday.
CB: Issa Diop
Issa Diop could partner with Craig Dawson again for this fixture, and has played incredibly well so far this season.
In all three of his matches this season Diop has kept a clean sheet, this includes in two Europa League games and against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford.
LB: Arthur Masuaku
After playing the majority of games this season, Moyes could look to rest Aaron Cresswell for this match and instead start with Arthur Masuaku in the left-back position.
The 27-year-old has only featured twice so far this term and has picked up an injury, but he is now fully fit and could possibly get a run out on Thursday.
CDM: Declan Rice
West Ham’s obvious star player right now, Declan Rice, will start again on Thursday and will look to lead the team to their third successive Europa League victory.
Rice has played an instrumental part in the side this season and has been one of our best performers, so we can expect to see another good display this week.
CDM: Mark Noble
Club captain Mark Noble could come into the side on Thursday after missing out at the weekend with a minor hip injury.
Alex Kral will 100% miss out after testing positive for coronavirus and Tomas Soucek could be rested after getting stitches in his face following Sunday’s win over Everton.
Noble has stepped up when needed this season and should lead the side out against Genk.
RM: Jarrod Bowen
Tricky winger Jarrod Bowen looks set to retain his place in the starting XI and will aim to get back on the score sheet on Thursday.
The 24-year-old has a goal and two assists in his past three games and is coming into fine form for the Hammers.
LM: Said Benrahma
Said Benrahma is another player that will likely retain his spot in the starting XI for this game, after a good display against Everton.
The Algerian winger has four goals and two assists already this season and will want to add to that in the Europa League.
ST: Michail Antonio
In-form Hammers striker Michail Antonio seemed to be injured against Everton after going down in the second half, but is now fine to play again this week.
The forward plays a vital role in this West Ham team, scoring six goals and producing four assists in all competitions so far, and should start again against Genk.
