Antonio

Team News: Antonio returns as Hammers unchanged from first leg

West Ham United are unchanged from the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final when they take on AZ Alkmaar in Thursday evening's return.

David Moyes’ men head to AZ Stadion looking to book a place in the Club’s first European final in 47 years following a 2-1 win at London Stadium last week.

Goals from Michail Antonio, who has shaken off a slight calf injury to lead the line in successive European semi-finals, and Saïd Benrahma give the Irons a one-goal advantage, although the job will have to be finished in Alkmaar.

Vladimír Coufal returns to the matchday squad for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury at Manchester City two weeks ago, and the Czech international will hope to play is part in taking the Hammers to his capital, Prague, come 7 June.

We are up against a very difficult opponent, who has played against some very good teams and knocked some very good teams out of the competition
David Moyes

An unchanged eleven means that Alphonse Areola is retained as the European goalkeeper, and seeks his seventh clean sheet in a competition that has taken the Irons to Denmark, Belgium, Romania, Cyprus, and the Netherlands.

The French stopper becomes West Ham’s all-time European appearance holder and the first player to play 25 matches in European competition for the Club.

Moyes' side are unbeaten in all 13 of their first fixtures in the competition and name Thilo Kehrer, Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd and Aaron Cresswell in defence. Zouma and Cresswell both started the second leg of the Irons' UEFA Europa semi-final 12 months ago.

Alongside Aguerd, Tomáš Souček is the second player retained from the 2-0 defeat by Brentford on Sunday and is set to partner skipper Declan Rice and Paquetá in midfield. The club captain makes his 20th European appearance for the Club.

AZ players

Looking for his eighth goal in Europe this season, Antonio leads the line supported by Jarrod Bowen and Benrahma.

Moyes names goalkeepers Łukasz Fabiański and Joseph Anang as part of a 12-man substitutes’ bench that also seats Flynn Downes, Manuel Lanzini, Maxwel Cornet and Pablo Fornals, who could tie level with Areola for most European appearances for the Club should he feature tonight.

Defenders Emerson, Ben Johnson, Angelo Ogbonna, and Coufal are also included, while there is a place for Academy of Football graduate Divin Mubama, who seeks his sixth first-team appearance tonight, and January arrival Danny Ings.


West Ham United: Areola, Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell, Souček, Rice ©, Paquetá, Bowen, Antonio, Benrahma
Subs: Fabiański (GK), Anang (GK), Johnson, Ogbonna, Emerson, Coufal, Downes, Lanzini, Cornet, Fornals, Mubama, Ings


AZ Alkmaar: Ryan, Sugawara, Beukema, Hatzidiakos, Kerkez, Reijnders, Mijnans, Clasie ©, Van Brederode, Pavlidis, Karlsson
Subs: Verhulst (GK), Deen (GK), D. de Wit, Mihailovic, Lahdo, Bazoer, Vanheusden, M. de Wit, Meerdink, Goes

 

Referee: Ivan Kružliak (Slovakia)