West Ham United will look to make it two wins from two in their Europa League group campaign on Thursday, when they host Austrian outfit Rapid Vienna in London.
David Moyes’ side defeated Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 on the road, while their visitors were defeated 1-0 by Genk in their first group stage game.
Team news
West Ham
• David Moyes fielded a surprisingly strong XI in West Ham’s first Europa League match, indicating that he intends to take this competition seriously before the fixture schedule becomes overburdened.
• Nonetheless, there is no reason why Moyes should not have faith in some of the squad’s fringe players, such as Alphonse Areola. Ryan Fredericks is the only player who is expected to be ruled out.
Rapid Vienna
• Rapid Wien will be missing four players when they travel to London on Thursday to face West Ham.
• Rapid Wien are expected to field a team similar to the one that lost to Genk at home last time out in the competition.
Prediction
• West Ham kicked off their Europa League campaign with a 2-0 win away to Dinamo Zagreb. The Hammers have only lost one of their first eight matches in all competitions, and even that defeat came after missing a stoppage time penalty against Manchester United.
• Rapid Wien’s season has become a nightmare. They are on a four-game losing streak in their last six games. They began their Europa League group stage campaign with a 1-0 loss at home to Genk and will be considered heavy underdogs at the London Stadium on Thursday.
Even if Moyes uses a rotated squad, West Ham have more than enough quality to defeat their opponents on Thursday.
The Irons’ trip to Croatia demonstrated their determination to win this tournament, and we expect them to post another dominant victory to take control of the group.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Johnson, Dawson, Ogbonna, Masuaku; Rice, Kral; Vlasic, Lanzini, Yarmolenko; Antonio
David Moyes’ side defeated Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 on the road, while their visitors were defeated 1-0 by Genk in their first group stage game.
Team news
West Ham
• David Moyes fielded a surprisingly strong XI in West Ham’s first Europa League match, indicating that he intends to take this competition seriously before the fixture schedule becomes overburdened.
• Nonetheless, there is no reason why Moyes should not have faith in some of the squad’s fringe players, such as Alphonse Areola. Ryan Fredericks is the only player who is expected to be ruled out.
Rapid Vienna
• Rapid Wien will be missing four players when they travel to London on Thursday to face West Ham.
• Rapid Wien are expected to field a team similar to the one that lost to Genk at home last time out in the competition.
Prediction
• West Ham kicked off their Europa League campaign with a 2-0 win away to Dinamo Zagreb. The Hammers have only lost one of their first eight matches in all competitions, and even that defeat came after missing a stoppage time penalty against Manchester United.
• Rapid Wien’s season has become a nightmare. They are on a four-game losing streak in their last six games. They began their Europa League group stage campaign with a 1-0 loss at home to Genk and will be considered heavy underdogs at the London Stadium on Thursday.
Even if Moyes uses a rotated squad, West Ham have more than enough quality to defeat their opponents on Thursday.
The Irons’ trip to Croatia demonstrated their determination to win this tournament, and we expect them to post another dominant victory to take control of the group.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Johnson, Dawson, Ogbonna, Masuaku; Rice, Kral; Vlasic, Lanzini, Yarmolenko; Antonio
Rapid Vienna possible starting lineup:
Gartler; Stojkovic, Greiml, Hofmann, Ullmann; Arase, Aiwu, Grahovac, Grull; Kara, Fountas
Our Prediction: West Ham United 3-0 Rapid Vienna