Nuno Espirito Santo has revealed Konstantinos Mavropanos and Crysencio Summerville could be back for West Ham ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash against Liverpool.
The former has missed the last month due to a thigh injury, while Summerville’s run of starting every game under Espirito Santo came to an end last week when he missed the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.
But along with the returning Lucas Paqueta, who was unavailable last week due to suspension, the pair could be back for the visit of the Premier League champions on Sunday. “Both of them are getting better. Still tomorrow to assess,” said Espirito Santo during Friday’s press conference.
It means Lukasz Fabianski and Oliver Scarles are the only West Ham players who are definitely unavailable.
Espirito Santo did not lose to Slot in either of last season’s meetings when he was Nottingham Forest boss and said that despite Liverpool’s downturn in form, he is still expecting a difficult game at the London Stadium.
"It’s a good team," he said. "In football, what matters is what you do on the day. We expect the champions of the Premier League to play like that. They are capable of doing things. We are ready.
"Looking back over recent years, every team has a moment like this, and then they react."
Arne Slot is under increasing pressure following a run of nine losses in 12
Arne Slot is under increasing pressure following a run of nine losses in 12 (Image: Getty Images)
On the pressure faced by Slot, Espirito Santo added: “All the managers in the Premier League and over the world, there are always questions.
"Always, the press raises questions. It’s part of the industry.”
Under the Portuguese head coach, West Ham's performances and results have steadily improved.
It has earned seven points from the last three games, which has helped the London club climb out of the relegation zone.
As for Liverpool, it sits 12th in the table and has lost six of the last seven Premier League matches, including its last four on the road.
The Reds remain without the injured Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, and Giovanni Leoni, while Alisson and Florian Wirtz could be available after missing Wednesday's 4-1 loss against PSV Eindhoven in midweek.
Slot also said he hopes Hugo Ekitike's injury will not be a serious problem after the striker was replaced in the second half of the midweek Champions League match.