West Ham United have seven Premier League games left as they look to finish above rivals Tottenham to secure safety.
While Nottingham Forest and arguably Leeds are also in the battle, West Ham and Tottenham are slight favourites for relegation in the Premier League.
The Hammers are in a slightly worse position than Spurs but it’s hard to imagine any supporters of the north London club willingly swapping places, given the state their club is in.
Choose between club and country… 🤔
Jarrod Bowen celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal during the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League B Group B2 match between England and Republic of Ireland
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Should Nuno Espirito Santo’s side beat Wolves when they return to action after the international break, they’ll go above Spurs in the Premier League table.
There is genuine hope of survival, and this is the lineup that can ensure it.
West Ham United’s strongest starting lineup
The West Ham squad clearly isn’t perfect, but consistently naming the lineup below is their best chance of avoiding dropping into the Championship.
Mads Hermansen might have made a mistake against Aston Villa, but recent performances have been enough to suggest he’s a better choice in goal than Alphonse Areola.
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Elsewhere, three of the back of the four now pick themselves. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Disasi and El Hadji Malick Diouf are in fine form, to the point where Disasi looks like an inspired signing for West Ham.
This team stays up ahead of Spurs 😎
Only debate is Dinos or Todibo….
A graphic showing West Ham United's strongest XI.
Credit: GRV Media
The final spot is a straight shootout between Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo but Mavropanos has been excellent for West Ham recently and looks slightly ahead of the Frenchman.
There are no such doubts about the midfield. Jarrod Bowen should always play on the right, while the central midfield partnership of Mateus Fernandes and Tomas Soucek has been excellent.
Crysencio Summerville is one of the form players in the Premier League in 2026 and it would not be too much to say that West Ham’s survival rests on his shoulders.
Thankfully, Hammers News understands that Summerville is expected to recover from a calf injury imminently.
Up front, Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe look like the best options, even if they do lack a track record of scoring goals. Callum Wilson is more prolific, but surely lacks the robustness to regularly start games.
If Nuno is able to pick this West Ham team for the rest of the season, they’ve got a great chance of staying up ahead of a Spurs side in total crisis.
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