West Ham United take on Derby County in the FA Cup on Monday, looking to build on their recent win over Everton.
West Ham United have had a disappointing season so far and they are fighting for survival in the Premier League. The FA Cup clash against Derby County is a golden opportunity for West Ham to build some confidence with a positive performance.
Meanwhile, the League One side are in impressive form right now and are unbeaten in league games since October 21. Derby County picked up a comprehensive 3-0 win over Barnsley in the third round. And they will be hoping to pull off a morale-boosting win against the Hammers and the fourth round now.
West Ham have not been at their best this season, and they have picked up just three wins from their last ten competitive matches. The Hammers will have to improve significantly in order to grind out a positive result here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
David Moyes previews Monday's tie against Derby County 🗣️#DERWHU | #TalkingPoint with @LycamobileUK pic.twitter.com/tFjeoGu5WM
— West Ham United (@WestHam) January 27, 2023
Team News & Tactics
Derby County
Derby County will be without the services of James Chester against West Ham on Monday. Besides that, they should be able to fail a full-strength line against the Hammers. The hosts are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Joe Wildsmith in goal.
Corey Smith and Haydon Roberts are expected to be deployed as the full-backs here. In the heart of the defence, Curtis Davies is set to partner with Craig Forsyth.
Conor Hourihane is expected to partner with Max Bird in the midfield pivot. And the two players will look to win the ball back for their side and shield the centre-backs.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Tom Barkhuizen will start as the wingers here and they will look to provide pace and creativity during counterattacks. Jason Knight is expected to start as the central attacking midfielder here behind David McGoldrick.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Wildsmith; Smith, Davis, Forsyth, Roberts; Hourihane, Bird; Mendez-Laing, Knight, Barkhuizen; McGoldrick
West Ham United
West Ham United will be without the services of Maxwel Cornet and Gianluca Scamacca because of injury problems. January signing Danny Ings is ruled out with a knee injury. The Hammers are likely to line up in a 3-5-2 formation with Lukasz Fabianski in goal.
The back three will comprise of Angelo Ogbonna, Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd. Ben Johnson and Emerson Palmieri are likely to be deployed as the wing-backs, and they will look to contribute to both phases of the play.
In the middle of the park, Declan Rice will anchor the midfield with Tomas Soucek and Flynn Downes on either side of him. Jarrod Bowen is expected to lead the line for the visitors alongside Michail Antonio.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Fabianski; Ogbonna, Zouma, Aguerd; Johnson, Soucek, Rice, Downes, Emerson; Bowen, Antonio
Key Stats
- There have been 76 meetings between Derby County and West Ham United, who lead the head-to-head record 27-24 (D25).
- In their last meeting, the hosts won 2-1, ending a three-game losing streak in the fixture.
- Derby County are without a clean sheet in their last six games in the fixture.
- Only one of West Ham’s five league wins this season have come away from home.
- The Hammers have conceded 25 goals in the Premier League this season. On the other hand, Derby County have the second-best defensive record in League One this season.
Player to watch
Jarrod Bowen
The 26-year-old West Ham United attacker scored a match-winning brace against Everton in his last outing, and he will be our man to watch on Monday evening. Bowen is undoubtedly one of the best players West Ham possess. And the Hammers will need him firing on all cylinders in order to grind out a victory here
Derby County have done quite well in League One this season. But facing a Premier League club is a whole new challenge, and Bowen has the ability to cause all sorts of problems for the home defence.
Prediction
Derby County 1-2 West Ham United
Derby County are undoubtedly the better team in terms of form right now. But this will be a tricky encounter for the League One side. West Ham certainly have a better squad on paper, and it remains to be seen whether the players can step up and get the job done.
This is likely to be a close contest between two evenly-matched sides on current form. And the Hammers are likely to edge this one The Hard Tackle predicts a narrow 2-1 win for West Ham against Derby County at the weekend.