est Ham will be without influential new signing Edson Alvarez for tonight’s Europa League opener at home to Backa Topola.
The Mexican midfielder is suspended due to a second yellow card he picked up in the 97th minute of Ajax’s knockout-round play-off second-leg defeat by Union Berlin in February during last season’s competition.
Hammers boss David Moyes insists the Premier League and Europa League are both the club’s priority competitions this season because of the financial rewards on offer for doing well, but admitted he is still set to make changes to his starting lineup following Saturday’s Premier League defeat to Manchester City.
Moyes made a decision this summer to promote Alphonse Areola to No1 goalkeeper ahead of Lukasz Fabianski, yet the Pole will start tonight. Their positions were reversed last season, when Areola played in Europe and Fabianski in the Premier League.
“Lukasz Fabianski will play tomorrow night”, Moyes told reporters on Wednesday. “Lukasz has been a brilliant goalkeeper and has done very little wrong to be out of the side.
“Lukasz’s form has been so, so good for the last few years, it’s been hard to do that. But we made that decision.”
Moyes added of the game against Serbian side Backa Topola: “We’ve got everybody available — everybody fit and ready to play. All the players are ready to go.
“I want to keep them all pushing. I think it’ll be a good opportunity for some of the players to show what they can do.”
West Ham predicted XI: Fabianski; Kehrer, Ogbonna, Mavropanos, Emerson; Soucek, Benrahma, Kudus, Fornals, Mubama; Ings
Injuries: None
Suspended: Alvarez
Time and date: 8pm BST on Thursday September 21, 2023
Venue: London Stadium
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