West Ham v West Bromwich Albion Team News
There will be a familiar face at the London Stadium on Saturday as West Brom boss Slaven Bilic faces former club West Ham in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Bilic, a former Hammers defender, was appointed manager in 2015 but was caught up in the storm of the club’s move to Stratford and was sacked in November 2017 with the Hammers in the relegation zone.
His replacement David Moyes only lasted six months but was appointed for a second spell in charge back in December and having lost 4-1 at Leicester on Wednesday, and with Liverpool to come in midweek, has some selection calls ahead of him.
Moyes opted for a back three at King Power Stadium but may revert to a four-man defence, forcing Arthus Masuaku onto the bench.
Lukasz Fabianski, Felipe Anderson, Andrey Yarmolenko, Jack Wilshere and Ryan Fredericks are all injured. That could prove an issue for Moyes as he may not be able to rest veteran captain Mark Noble like he did earlier this month against Gillingham.
West Brom sit top of the Championship but their recent form has been shaky, failing to win their last six and their third round success at Charlton is their only victory in 2020.
“I can’t deny that it will be a special game for me and for Julian, but at the same time, it’s also just a normal game.”
The boss on our @EmiratesFACup cup clash with @WestHam… 💬#EmiratesFACup | #WBA https://t.co/GY8q05vlEW
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) 24 January 2020
After Monday’s 1-0 defeat at Stoke, Bilic has a conundrum to solve. Personal pride may prompt him to pick a strong side on his first return to east London but it maybe more beneficial in the long-run to rest some of his players.
Matheus Pereira begins a three-match ban for an elbow on Stoke’s Joe Allen and is expected to be replaced by Filip Krovinovic in the number 10 role.
On-loan Hammers winger Grady Diangana is injured to give Kenneth Zohore a chance on the left of the attack, while Chris Brunt could be included at left-back.
West Ham won 2-1 the last time the pair met in January 2018 thanks to an Andy Carroll brace but it was the Baggies who triumphed in their last cup meeting, a 4-0 victory at The Hawthorns in February 2015.
