Declan Rice celebrates with West Ham goalscorer Ben Johnson at Villa Park (Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)

Michail Antonio to start, Vladimir Coufal decision - West Ham predicted XI vs Liverpool

How football.london's West Ham writer Tom Clark expects the Hammers to line up against Liverpool in the Premier League

by · football.london

West Ham manager David Moyes has some big calls to make for his team to take on Liverpool after fine performances from his Hammers squad in recent weeks.

Moyes made seven changes for the Europa League clash against Genk on Thursday night and is expected to reverse many of those and revert to his settled Premier League XI for the match against Liverpool.

One of the more difficult calls the manager faces is whether to include the fit again Vladimir Coufal in the side in place of Ben Johnson who has been in fine form in recent weeks.

Coufal started the game in Belgium and provided the assist for Said Benrahma's first goal but Johnson has been superb in the Czech's absence and has given Moyes a welcome selection headache.

West Ham have a couple of minor injury worries with Andriy Yarmolenko and Nikola Vlasic not deemed fit enough for the midweek trip, however football.london understands neither man faces a significant spell on the sidelines and both will be fit enough to join their national squads next week. The two attacking-midfielders have rarely seen Premier League action this season and this is likely to remain the case this afternoon.

With only minor injury concerns Moyes is expected to name his strongest available XI for the visit of Liverpool with the likes of Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna to return. The centre-backs will line up in front of regular goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski with Aaron Cresswell at left back and Johnson to get the nod over Coufal.

Ahead of the back four, Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek look nailed on to patrol the middle of the park with Rice to once again captain the team.


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The attacking quartet is one of the most settled areas in the Hammers squad and with Nikola Vlasic and Andriy Yarmolenko doubts, and Manuel Lanzini and Arthur Masuaku not making strong cases in midweek for a spot against Liverpool, the regular starters are expected to line-up this afternoon.

Pablo Fornals, Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma will once again line up for the Hammers, supporting Michail Antonio up front.

Predicted West Ham XI - Fabianski; Johnson, Zouma, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Fornals, Benrahma, Bowen; Antonio