Serbian SuperLiga outfit Backa Topola will host West Ham United at the TSC Arena in the UEFA Europa League group stage on Thursday night.
West Ham face Backa Topola in an early Europa League kick-off in their penultimate Group A fixture on Thursday, hoping to book their place in the next round.
Currently sitting ninth in the Premier League table, only three behind Newcastle United in sixth, following David Moyes’ side has been a delightful experience for the Hammers’ fans in November so far. They have won four of their last five fixtures in all competitions, including each of their last three against Olympiacos, Nottingham Forest, and Burnley.
Having claimed their Europa League spot by winning last season’s Conference League, the Hammers are almost certain of their place in the knockout stage with two games spare.
The Hammers are top of Group B after a strong European campaign so far, making it three wins from four last time out against Olympiakos, and, with a potentially crucial winner-takes-the-top-seed clash against their nearest rivals Freiburg on the horizon, they should remain on the ball for their trip to TSC Backa Topola, who are in bottom place and already unable to progress to the knockout stages.
However, confidence should not be low in the home camp after they pulled off their best result of the season last time out, winning 4-0 against league leaders Partizan Belgrade away from home, which followed a hefty 5-0 away thrashing at the hands of Freiburg in their most recent Europa League encounter and a 2-1 loss at home to Vojvodina in the Serbian SuperLiga.
Team News and Tactics
Backa Topola
Following a 4-0 win over the league’s leader, Partizan, head coach Nikola Lazetic is likely to stick with a 5-3-2 formation and keep changes to a minimum.
Serbian shot-stopper Veljko Ilic will feature in between the sticks for TSC as he looks to earn a clean sheet at home. Josip Calusic will play alongside Nemanja Stojic and Goran Antonic at the centre of the back-five as they try to keep things solid at the back during the 90 minutes.
Milos Cvetkovic will likely get the nod ahead of Jovan Vlalukin at right wing-back, while Nemanja Petrovic will look to give a good account of himself on the other flank as the left wing-back.
Milan Radin, who scored in the win over Partizan last weekend, should also keep his place in midfield alongside Ifet Djakovac and Petar Stanic, given his goal threat. Sasa Jovanovic is expected to line up in attack alongside Uros Milovanovic after the latter got onto the scoresheet against Partizan.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Ilic; Cvetkovic, Antonic, Stojic, Calusic, Petrovic; Radin, Djakovac, Stanic; Jovanovic, Milovanovic
West Ham United
The Hammers head to Serbia ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/NNvveuk7KI
— West Ham United (@WestHam) November 28, 2023
West Ham are likely to be without the services of star winger Jarrod Bowen again after he did not participate in their victory over Burnley at the weekend. The Englishman suffered a knee injury on international duty with England and is not expected to be risked in Serbia. Michail Antonio is also out with a knock that will see him sidelined for multiple weeks.
Lukasz Fabianski is expected to start in goal as head coach David Moyes looks to make a few changes to his first XI for this game. Konstantinos Mavropanos should feature at the back, while Pablo Fornals and Maxwel Cornet will be hoping to get rare minutes in the starting lineup.
A key part of West Ham’s success in Europe this season has been James Ward-Prowse. The midfielder arrived from Southampton in the summer and instantly became a crucial part of Moyes’ side, excelling at churning high-quality chances for his teammates from set-piece situations and open play.
With Michail Antonio out injured, Danny Ings started upfront at Turf Moor, but he was replaced by 19-year-old Divin Mubama after 62 minutes, having failed to impact the game whatsoever. It was like chalk and cheese in comparison to watching Ings lead the line.
Mubama is quicker than Ings and presses with more intensity. Not to mention, he made a brilliant run to the near post, which forced a Burnley defender to turn the ball into his own goal from a Mohammed Kudus cross. Following his performance off the bench on Saturday, the talented teenager may get the nod up front ahead of the waning Ings here.
The potential absence of Bowen for a second successive game could see Kudus handed another start out wide, with Lucas Paqueta operating in the No. 10 role and Said Benrahma looking to impress on the left flank.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Coufal, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Cresswell; Alvarez, Ward-Prowse; Kudus, Paqueta, Benrahma; Mubama
Key Stats
- The two teams will meet for just the second time in their history. They met in the campaign opener in September, with the Hammers recording a 3-1 home win.
- TSC are without a win in the last five home games in all competitions.
- West Ham United have kept only one clean sheet in ten matches on the road this season.
- Eight of the Hammers’ last nine away games have featured at least three goals.
- Backa Topola have conceded 13 goals in their four Europa League matches this season.
Player to Watch
Mohammed Kudus
Mohammed Kudus was brought to West Ham from Ajax by David Moyes in the summer transfer window, and he has proven to be a huge hit already. The 23-year-old Ghanaian ace produced a Man of the Match performance as West Ham United came from a goal down to beat Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, providing two assists, of which one eventually didn’t stand as it was awarded as an own goal.
He has scored four goals in 16 matches for the Hammers, making him the second-top scorer for the club this season despite starting only 10 matches. He will look to make a similar impact here.
Prediction
Backa Topola 1-3 West Ham United
Although it looks likely that the Hammers’ final Group A game against Freiburg will decide who advances to the last-16 and who requires a play-off tie against a relegated Champions League side, this should be a more comfortable night for David Moyes’ men as they look to confirm their spot for the next round.
Their Serbian opponents will be keen to prove they deserve to be at this level, despite one point from their four games, and that could result in an entertaining encounter with goals at both ends.
