Manager Rehanne Skinner has named nine changes from her West Ham United women's team that faced Leicester City on Sunday for Wednesday night’s Subway® Women's League Cup tie at home to Southampton.
The Hammers have two wins from two in Group C and know a victory at Chigwell Construction Stadium will give us a firm grip at the summit of the table with one group-stage fixture remaining.
We welcome the Saints to Dagenham, who have one win from their two games, having beaten south-coast rivals Portsmouth 1-0 before falling to a 3-0 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion.
We most recently faced the Seagulls in the competition, and Skinner has made four changes from that game, with Amber Tysiak, Shelina Zadorsky, Seraina Piubel (knock) and Shekiera Martinez coming out of the starting XI.
Goalkeeper Megan Walsh starts inbetween the sticks and will don the captain’s armband for the first time since our victory against Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals of the competition last season. The Republic of Ireland international made a stunning, last-minute stop to deny Rosa Kafaji at the death against Brighton.
Yu Endo is one of the players from the starting XI that drew with the Foxes to keep her place in the line-up. She will be supported in defence by Selin Cemal, Eva Nyström, Verena Hanshaw and Inès Belloumou, who was recently crowned the 2025 Algerian Player of the Year.
Cemal made her debut in Claret and Blue away at Charlton Athletic in September and this will be her first appearance since. Meanwhile, Belloumou will be playing her first minutes since suspension.
In midfield to face the Saints are Anna Csiki and Halle Houssein, who notched two assists against the Addicks, and they will support an attack of Sarah Brasero, Riko Ueki and Manuela Paví. Brasero and Paví both scored at the Valley and will hope to be on target again against Simon Parker’s side.
Skinner has nine substitutes on the bench: goalkeeper Katie O’Hanlon, defenders Tysiak, Zadorsky and Denton, midfielders Oona Siren and Katrina Gorry, and forwards Martinez, Viviane Asseyi and Ffion Morgan.
Martinez was on target against the Foxes on Sunday and has also scored in each of our last two Subway® Women's League Cup fixtures.
Leila Wandeler misses out on the matchday squad with a knock.
West Ham United: Walsh ©, Endo, Cemal, Nyström, Hanshaw, Belloumou, Houssein, Csiki, Brasero, Ueki, Paví
Subs: O'Hanlon (GK), Siren, Tysiak, Zadorsky, Denton, Martinez, Asseyi, Gorry, Morgan
Southampton: Stenson, Mott, Akpan, Goddard, Brazil, Ferguson, Edwards, Hack, Primus ©, Watts, Palmer
Subs: Prout (GK), Bourne, Peplow, McAlonie, Bashford, Simpson, Collett, Tucker, Roberts
Referee: Megan Wilson
