Łukasz Fabiański, Kurt Zouma, Edson Álvarez and Michail Antonio have all been drafted into the starting XI for West Ham United’s crucial UEFA Europa League round of 16 second leg at home to SC Freiburg.
Boss David Moyes has made four changes to the side that started the dramatic 2-2 draw with Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday, with Alphonse Areola, Nayef Aguerd, Kalvin Phillips and James Ward-Prowse all dropping to the substitutes’ bench.
Forward Antonio played a big part in the changing of fortunes in the second half against the Clarets last time out, and the 33-year-old will be hoping to notch his first European goal of the campaign to help the Hammers overturn their current 1-0 deficit in the tie.
The inclusion of Antonio suggests he will start in the middle of a front three, in between Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, who was included in the latest England squad earlier on Thursday.
Lucas Paquetá could be set for a more central role than in the first leg against the Breisgau Brazilians, alongside Álvarez and Tomáš Souček in midfield. Paquetá and Álvarez both got on the scoresheet against Freiburg during the group stage of this year’s competition.
At the back, skipper Zouma comes back into the team to partner Dinos Mavropanos in the centre of defence, with the latter in line to make his fifth successive start in all competitions.
Aaron Cresswell retains his place at left-back, with Emerson missing his second game in a row due to a knock he picked up in the reverse fixture against Freiburg at the Stadion am Wolfswinkel, and Vladimír Coufal continues on the right.
Fabiański - whose game time has largely come in the cups this season - takes over from Areola between the sticks once again, looking for his fourth clean sheet in seven Europa League outings this term.
Areola, Aguerd, Phillips and Ward-Prowse are joined on the bench by a number of young West Ham starlets, with 20-year-old goalkeeper Jacob Knightbridge rewarded for a string of fine performances at U21 level with a spot in the senior matchday squad for the first time.
George Earthy and Lewis Orford could make their first-team debuts if called upon by Moyes, while Ben Johnson, Angelo Ogbonna, Divin Mubama and Danny Ings - who scored the equaliser against Burnley at the weekend - will all be looking to make an impact and help seal progression to the quarter-finals.
West Ham United: Fabiański, Coufal, Zouma ©, Mavropanos, Cresswell, Álvarez, Souček, Paquetá, Kudus, Bowen, Antonio
Subs: Areola (GK), Knightbridge (GK), Johnson, Casey, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Phillips, Ward-Prowse, Earthy, Orford, Ings, Mubama
SC Freiburg: Atubolu, Sildillia, Ginter, Gulde, Günter ©, Höfler, Dōan, Eggestein, Höler, Grifo, Sallai
Subs: Müller (GK), Uphoff (GK), Szalai, Lienhart, Keitel, Kübler, Adamu, Muslija, Philipp, Makengo, Röhl, Gregoritsch
Referee: Marco Guida (ITA)
