West Ham United face another tense battle against Burnley at the London Stadium this weekend.placeholder image
West Ham United face another tense battle against Burnley at the London Stadium this weekend. | Getty Images
West Ham United are searching for back-to-back wins as they host Burnley on Saturday
There was a new lease of life at the London Stadium last weekend as West Ham United finally won a first Premier League home game of the season, coming from behind to overcome Newcastle United 3-1 and earn a first victory of the Nuno Espirito Santo era.
Goals from Lucas Paqueta and Tomas Soucek and an inspired performance by academy graduate Freddie Potts were the key to an impressive victory, which left the Hammers within touching distance of climbing out of the bottom three.
Next up, Burnley visit east London with ambitions of surviving relegation of their own. In a clash between 17th and 18th place in the division as we currently stand, the result on Saturday (15:00 GMT) could go a long way to showing where West Ham truly are within their hoped survival arc under Nuno. The Portuguese will have some huge personnel calls to make ahead of the must-win fixture.
Two key players remain out as Nuno given selection headache
West Ham remain without two regular starters in Niclas Fullkrug and Konstantinos Mavropanos through injury, with Hammers head coach Nuno confirming in his press conference on Thursday that both players will remain out for the visit of Burnley. Both Fullkrug and Mavropanos are currently on the sidelines with thigh injuries sustained last month, but should be back in contention after the international break.
“Both of them are improving,” said Espirito Santo. “Different stages. Dinos [Mavropanos] is still doing individual work, Niclas is progressing with the group, but not all parts of the training sessions... We have the international break, and I am positive after that everything is going to be okay.”
The Hammers also remain without youngsters Oliver Scarles (shoulder) and George Earthy (hamstring), while veteran goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is also currently out of action with a back injury.
West Ham predicted line-up as Hammers seek successive wins
Nuno opted to give academy graduate Potts his first Premier League start in the victory over Newcastle, and will be faced with the decision of whether the 22-year-old should remain in the XI for the visit of Burnley. Despite significant fanfare following his Man of the Match performance on Sunday, the Portuguese insisted in his press conference that expectations should be calmed of a player who, in his words, has “played just one game”. But after the impact he made last weekend, fans will be clamouring to see young starlet Potts in the XI once again. Soucek will also be pushing for a start after his goalscoring cameo off the bench last time out.
Up front, Nuno opted to give Callum Wilson a first start since September as the 33-year-old made a valiant contribution against his former club. Wilson has a strong goalscoring record against Burnley, scoring six in his last four starts against the Clarets, but Nuno may opt to manage his minutes and introduce the former England international as an impact substitute in the second half if the Hammers need a goal, starting with a three in midfield amidst a lack of other options up front.
West Ham would be smart to approach the game with a plan of solidity first, and that starts at the back. Nuno could offer a first start in the claret-and-blue shirt to Igor Julio, who signed on loan from Brighton in the summer and has impressed in training according to reports, but has had to bide his time for first-team action despite the struggles of Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo. As a left-footed centre-back, Igor’s value in adding balance to the side is undeniable if he is given his opportunity.
Predicted starting XI: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Igor Julio, Diouf; Potts, Fernandes, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Summerville.
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