Premier League clubs West Ham United and Bournemouth are all set to square up against each other in the second round of the EFL Cup.
Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham United are all set to host rival Premier League club Bournemouth at the London Stadium in the second round of the EFL Cup. Both clubs have made a promising start to the season, and this fixture could help them build momentum.
The home team have added a lot of quality to their squad during the summer as Lopetegui looks to succeed David Moyes. While they started the season with a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at home, the Hammers bounced back with a 2-0 win away to Crystal Palace.
While it was an evenly contested fixture, West Ham were more clinical in the final third, and they got the result they wanted. The Hammers have competed in Europe over the last three seasons. As a result, this is their first second-round EFL Cup fixture in four years. With a Premier League rival up against them, they are not going to find it easy.
Bournemouth might have parted ways with Dominic Solanke, but they have made quite a few additions in the final third of the pitch. While the Cherries are yet to win a game this season, they haven’t lost either. After playing out a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest, they followed it up with another draw against Newcastle United at home.
Andoni Iraola’s team might not have been at their best yet, but they have played some interesting football and will surely give the Hammers a tough time in the EFL Cup. It will be an interesting fixture between two Premier League clubs who have quite a few new faces. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
Julen Lopetegui will look to mix things up and make a few changes to their starting eleven from the last outing. Expect quite a few of their summer signings to start in this fixture. The Spanish manager has a fully-fit squad to choose from, and he is expected to go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation for this fixture, with veteran Lukasz Fabianski in goal.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson Palmieri will start as the full-backs for the Hammers, with Max Kilman taking charge in the heart of the defence alongside Jean-Clair Todibo. Edson Alvarez will feature in the centre of the park alongside Tomas Soucek and the exit-linked James Ward-Prowse. The trio will look to control the tempo of the game and ensure they have the majority of the ball.
22-year-old ex-Leeds United winger Crysencio Summerville will feature on the right flank, with Mohammed Kudus expected to take charge on the left. Former Borussia Dortmund star Niclas Fullkrug will lead the line for West Ham against Bournemouth.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Todibo, Emerson; Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Soucek; Summerville, Fullkrug, Kudus
Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola will also look to make a few changes to the team that started in their last outing. Chris Mepham is the only Bournemouth player who is a doubt for this fixture. Apart from him, everyone else is available for selection.
The Cherries are also expected to go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation for this fixture, with Neto in goal. Adam Smith and Milos Kerkez will take charge as the full-backs, with Illia Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen expected to start in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook will provide the stability, while Alex Scott will be in their support. The 21-year-old will look to leave his mark with an impressive outing here.
Luis Sinisterra and Dango Ouattara will feature on the flanks for the away team. They will provide width to their attacks and look to provide goal-scoring chances to their striker Evanlison, who is expected to start here after making his debut last time out.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Cook, Christie, Scott; Sinisterra, Evanilson, Ouattara
Key Stats
- This will be West Ham’s first second-round EFL Cup fixture in four years as they have been competing in Europe over the last three seasons.
- Since becoming a Premier League club, Bournemouth have been knocked out from the second round only once.
- West Ham have never won the EFL Cup and they last played in a final back in 1981.
- Since 2011, the Hammers have made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament on six occasions.
- In the last two seasons, the Cherries have been knocked out of the EFL Cup in the fourth round.
Player to Watch
Crysencio Summerville
After an exceptional season with Leeds United where he contributed towards 31 goals, the 22-year-old winger has made the move to West Ham United. While had a cameo against Aston Villa in their first league fixture, Summerville was left on the bench in the second outing. He is expected to start this fixture and will be eager to make an impression as he looks to break into Julen Lopetegui’s first-choice XI.
Prediction
West Ham United 2-1 Bournemouth
The Hammers started with a defeat to Aston Villa, but they have managed to bounce back. And given the amount of quality they have in their squad, West Ham United will surely make things difficult for the Cherries.
The visitors are yet to suffer a defeat this season. However, they have not won either and without Solanke they could find it difficult to deal with Lopetegui’s team. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for the London club.