Team news: Ogbonna and Lanzini start against Chelsea

West Ham team

 

Angelo Ogbonna and Manuel Lanzini have returned to the West Ham United starting XI for Wednesday evening’s match with Chelsea. 

Italian Ogbonna comes into the team in place of Fabian Balbuena, while Lanzini replaces captain Mark Noble, who misses out on the matchday squad. 

The Irons return to Premier League action against the Blues with two changes to the starting XI from last week’s defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, with the first coming in central defence. 

Ogbonna makes his first start since the restart, replacing Paraguayan Balbuena, in a back-four that also includes Ryan Fredericks and Aaron Cresswell, who scored the winning goal in the reverse fixture back in November. 

Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek play in midfield while Lanzini comes back into the team, with January signing Jarrod Bowen and Spaniard Pablo Fornals likely to feature on the flanks. 

Michail Antonio also retains his position in the team, once again opening the fixture up front for the Hammers. 

Among the substitutes available for David Moyes to choose from is Academy midfielder Alfie Lewis. The 20-year-old features in a Premier League squad for the first time. 

Also among the options from the bench are goalkeeper Darren Randolph, defenders Balbuena and Ben Johnson, Jack Wilshere, Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko. 

Albian Ajeti and Xande Silva complete the matchday squad.


West Ham United: Fabianski; Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice (c), Bowen, Fornals, Lanzini; Antonio
Subs: Randolph, Johnson, Balbuena, Wilshere, Lewis, F. Anderson, Yarmolenko, Xande Silva, Ajeti

Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta (c), Rudiger, Christensen, Alonso, Kovacic, Kante, Pulisic, Barkley, Willian, Abraham
Subs: Caballero, James, Zouma, Jorginho, Gilmour, Mount, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi, Giroud

 

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