West Ham prepare for AFC Bournemouth fixture

Team News: Zouma hits Premier League milestone as Benrahma returns for Bournemouth

Kurt Zouma will make his 200th Premier League appearance after he was named in West Ham United’s starting XI for AFC Bournemouth.

The French defender will move just six short of 50 matches in Claret and Blue and is one of ten players retained from midweek action against Liverpool, with Saïd Benrahma the only change from our trip to Merseyside.

Having impressed off the bench last Wednesday, the Algerian midfielder replaces Pablo Fornals, as David Moyes’ men seek a fifth straight home win in all competitions at London Stadium.

With former Hammer Gary O’Neil returning to east London as interim head coach of visiting Bournemouth, Ben Johnson, Thilo Kehrer, and Aaron Cresswell complete the defence alongside Zouma.

Łukasz Fabiański also keeps his place in the Premier League eleven, having made his 150th appearance for the Hammers in his last league outing.

Łukasz Fabiański makes a save at Southampton

After opening his goalscoring account for 2022/23 in our 1-1 draw against Southampton, Declan Rice will skipper the side and is joined in midfield by Tomáš Souček and Flynn Downes, who made his full Premier League at Anfield, in the middle of the park.

Hoping to strike for a third consecutive home Premier League game, Jarrod Bowen and Gianluca Scamacca lead the attacking options alongside the recalled Benrahma.

As part of a strong bench for Moyes to call upon are midfielders Manuel Lanzini, Conor Coventry and Fornals, as well as defenders Emerson, Angelo Ogbonna and Vladimír Coufal.  

Looking for his third Premier League goal of the season, Michail Antonio completes the matchday squad alongside goalkeepers Alphonse Areola and Darren Randolph.

For the visitors, former Hammer Ryan Fredericks starts, while Junior Stanislas, who made 47 appearances in Claret and Blue, could feature on his return to east London from the bench.

 

West Ham United: Fabiański, Johnson, Kehrer, Zouma, Cresswell, Rice ©, Souček, Bowen, Downes, Benrahma, Scamacca
Subs: Areola (GK), Randolph (GK), Coufal, Fornals, Antonio, Lanzini, Ogbonna, Coventry, Emerson

 

AFC Bournemouth: Neto, Fredericks, Mepham, Senesi, Smith ©, Cook, Lerma, Christie, Billing, Tavernier, Solanke
Subs: Travers (GK), Stacey, Zemura, Stephens, Pearson, Rothwell, Stanislas, Anthony, Moore

 

Referee: David Coote

 

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