Danny Ings returns to West Ham United’s starting XI as part of five changes for Aston Villa’s trip to London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The 30-year-striker scored a brace on his full debut against Nottingham Forest last month and seeks consecutive home wins as his former employers head to east London.
Emerson, Jarrod Bowen, Tomáš Souček and Paquetá are the other changes from the side to defeat AEK Larnaca in the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 first leg on Thursday, as Pablo Fornals, Flynn Downes, Manuel Lanzini and Aaron Cresswell drop to the bench, while Michail Antonio is absent from the matchday squad for Villa.
An unchanged centre-back partnership of Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma sees the French defender make his first Premier League starting XI since a 2-0 win over Everton in January. Maxwel Cornet, meanwhile, is also involved in successive matchday squads and will hope to make an impact from a strong substitutes’ bench having last made a league appearance in October last year.
Retaining his place between the sticks with Łukasz Fabiański sidelined due to an eye-socket injury sustained in the 4-0 win over Forest, Alphonse Areola will make his first home Premier League start for West Ham.
In front of the 2018 FIFA World Cup-winning goalkeeper, Thilo Kehrer joins Aguerd, Zouma, who made his 50th Club appearance in Cyprus on Thursday, and Emerson, the sole change in the back-line from midweek action, in defence.
Making his 25th appearance for the Irons, Paquetá is partnered by skipper Declan Rice and Souček in midfield – the third straight league game Moyes has deployed this trio. The Czech skipper is also set to feature for the 140th occasion for the Club he joined in January 2020.
Seeking his 20th goal in Claret and Blue, Saïd Benrahma will join Bowen, who makes his 140th Club outing, in leading the support of Ings.
Part of a quartet of attacking options, with Lanzini, Gianluca Scamacca, and Cornet also available to David Moyes, Pablo Fornals will have to make an impact from the bench should he score in a fourth successive win over Aston Villa.
Goalkeeper Joseph Anang is also part of the squad, alongside defenders Ben Johnson, Angelo Ogbonna, and Aaron Cresswell. The 22-year-old would make his Club debut should he feature today, while Flynn Downes, two appearances short of 25 in Claret and Blue, completes the matchday squad.
West Ham United: Areola, Kehrer, Aguerd, Zouma, Emerson, Rice ©, Souček, Paquetá, Bowen, Ings, Benrahma
Subs: Anang (GK), Johnson, Ogbonna, Downes, Cornet, Cresswell, Fornals, Lanzini, Scamacca
Aston Villa: Martínez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Moreno, Douglas Luiz, Ramsey, McGinn ©, Buendía, Bailey, Watkins
Subs: Olsen (GK), Sisisalo (GK), Carlos, Traoré, Chambers, Young, Duran, Digne
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
