Soucek starts, “exceptional” colossus axed by Moyes: Predicted West Ham XI v Liverpool

West Ham travel to Anfield this evening in the hope of pulling off an impressive double over Liverpool, having beaten the Carabao Cup winners 3-2 at the London Stadium earlier this season.

However, David Moyes is without four players – Angelo Ogbonna (knee), Arthur Masuaku (knee), Vladimir Coufal (hernia) and Andriy Yarmolenko (compassionate leave) – while Ryan Fredericks (groin) is also a doubt.

Will West Ham shock Liverpool today?

Tomas Soucek suffered a deep cut above his left eye against Southampton and was initially considered a doubt, but after seemingly making himself available for selection via social media, it is expected that he will be in the squad later.

With all that in mind, here is our predicted West Ham line-up for this evening:

We expect Moyes to deploy the same 3-4-1-2 formation he has used in the last two games, particularly to counter the threat of Liverpool’s full-backs and front three in an effort to contain them and hit them on the break.

The 58-year-old is likely to make just two changes from the team which lost at Southampton in the FA Cup in midweek, with Alphonse Areola dropping out of the team in place of Lukasz Fabianski, and Aaron Cresswell coming in for Issa Diop.

On-loan Areola – who was once described by his former Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel as “exceptional” – had a night to forget on Wednesday, conceding three goals and making just one save, with SofaScore giving him a match rating of 5.9, while Cresswell missed out through injury.

He and Fabianski return, with Diop and Areola dropping to the bench, while Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson retain their places in the team.

Ben Johnson and Pablo Fornals continue as makeshift wing-backs, with Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek marshalling the midfield, and Manuel Lanzini just behind Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio.

The likes of Nikola Vlasic and Said Benrahma will likely be called upon to provide a spark off the bench, while the leadership and experience of Mark Noble could prove crucial should he come on as a substitute to help the Hammers protect a lead or gain a draw.

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