West Ham United will host Bristol City in the FA Cup this weekend, looking to book their place in the next round of the competition.
Meanwhile, Bristol City will look to pull off an upset against West Ham United, although grinding out a positive result away from home will be an uphill task.
Both teams are in relatively similar form, but West Ham are undoubtedly the better team on paper and the home fans will be expecting a comprehensive victory. That said, they cannot afford to underestimate the opposition here. Bristol City are likely to put up a fight and make life difficult for the Hammers.
West Ham managed to win the Conference League last season and they will want to win another cup this season. The FA Cup will be in their crosshairs and they must look to put on a professional display if they want to go all the way.
Team news and tactics
West Ham United
Michail Antonio has picked up a back injury and he will be sidelined for several weeks. Mohammed Kudus and Nayef Aguerd are away with their national teams for the African Cup of nations.
West Ham will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Bristol City, with Lukasz Fabianski in goal. Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell will be deployed as the full-backs here and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Konstantinos Mavropanos should feature alongside Angelo Ogbonna in central defence.
Tomas Soucek will start in the midfield pivot alongside Edson Alvarez. The two players will look to add defensive cover and physicality to the side. Danny Ings will lead the line for West Ham against Bristol City, with Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma in the wide areas. Pablo Fornals will start as the creative midfielder in the centre of the park.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Johnson, Mavropanos, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Soucek, Alvarez; Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma; Ings
Bristol City
The away side will be without Rob Atkinson, Kal Naismith, and Ayman Benarous. Bristol City are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against West Ham United, with Max O’Leary taking his place in goal.
George Tanner and Cameron Pring will start as the full-backs here. They will look to contain the West Ham United wingers and help out in the attack. Zak Vyner will start alongside Rob Dickie at the heart of the defence. As for the midfield unit, Joe Williams will start alongside Matty James in the double pivot.
They will look to break up the opposition attacks and win the ball back for their side. Tommy Conway will start as the central attacking midfielder here along with Sam Bell and Anis Mehmeti as the wingers. The three players will look to add creativity in the final third. Finally, Nahki Wells will lead the line for Bristol City against West Ham United.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): O’Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Pring; Williams, James; Bell, Conway, Mehmeti; Wells
Key Stats
- West Ham United are unbeaten in their last three meetings against Bristol City.
- West Ham have picked up four wins and a draw from their last six matches across all competitions.
- Bristol City have picked up three wins and a draw from their last six matches across all competitions.
- Three goals have been scored in the last three meetings between these two sides.
- West Ham have scored ten goals in their last six matches across all competitions.
- Bristol City have conceded six goals in their last six matches across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Jarrod Bowen
The 27-year-old has been outstanding for West Ham this season, amassing 13 goals and four assists to his name across all competitions. He will look to add to his tally with another fine performance here. Bristol City will struggle to deal with his movement, link up play and flair. He is our key player to watch out for.
Prediction
West Ham United 3-1 Bristol City
West Ham are the better team on paper, and they should be able to grind out an easy win at home. Bristol City have done reasonably well in their last few outings, but they are out of their depth here.
The Hammers have been scoring goals freely in the last few outings, and someone like Jarrod Bowen could cause all sorts of problems for the away defence. A comprehensive home win is on the cards here. The Hard Tackle predicts David Moyes and his charges to cruise to a 3-1 victory.
