West Ham are without Vladimir Coufal for today’s FA Cup clash with Brentford.
David Moyes’ side make the short trip to west London looking for a welcome distraction from their stuttering Premier League form.
While a 2-2 draw with Leeds at least stopped the rot to some degree, few would doubt Moyes is under pressure after a poor start to the season.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW BRENTFORD VS WEST HAM LIVE!
Still, Moyes’ highlight during his second stint in east London came through a cup competition and perhaps another deep run would lift the mood somewhat.
Brentford, however, won at the London Stadium on New Year’s Eve and are an even more difficult proposition at home.
Coufal picked up a knock following a heavy challenge from Crysencio Summerville at Elland Road and was duly substituted, and does not travel with the squad.
It is a back-five for the Hammers, with Ben Johnson coming in on the right and Emerson at left-wing back. Tomas Soucek partners Declan Rice in midfield, while it’s an advanced role for Lucas Paqueta.
Angelo Ogbonna comes in for his second appearance since the World Cup.
Moyes confirmed in the build-up to the match that Kurt Zouma is making progress but he is not yet ready to be involved.
“Kurt Zouma is getting closer, but maybe not yet,” said the West Ham boss. “He’s only just going to start training, so we’re probably much the same [from Leeds].
“We’re trying to recover. We only played late on Wednesday night so we’re still trying to get the players back together and get them ready.”
Starting XI: Fabianski; Johnson, Dawson, Aguerd, Ogbonna, Emerson; Soucek, Rice; Paqueta, Antonio, Bowen
Subs: Randolph, Cresswell, Fornals, Downes, Benrahma, Kehrer, Coventry, Swyer, Mubama
