90min

West Ham predicted lineup vs Lyon - Europa League

By Toby Cudworth

David Moyes will hope West Ham can open up a first leg advantage
David Moyes will hope West Ham can open up a first leg advantage / Craig Mercer/MB Media/GettyImages
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West Ham will look to keep their European journey alive when they welcome Lyon to the London Stadium on Thursday.

A spectacular triumph against Europa League specialists Sevilla in the last round has set up this quarter-final clash with a Lyon side who, despite their bumpy form in Ligue 1, always look capable of turning on the style in Europe.

Here's how David Moyes could set up.

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Alphonse Areola (GK) - West Ham's number one in Europe, there's no reason for Areola not to play here - particularly after his heroics against Sevilla.

Ben Johnson (RB) - The 22-year-old faces a late fitness test to be ready, but is likely to get the nod ahead of Ryan Fredericks if he passes.

Craig Dawson (CB) - Continues to deliver consistent performance after consistent performance. Such a smart piece of business.

Kurt Zouma (CB) - A colossal presence at the back, West Ham need Zouma to be at his absolute best.

Aaron Cresswell (LB) - Scored a wonderful free-kick against Everton at the weekend, quality that West Ham will hope he can deliver from all set pieces he takes.

2. Midfielders

Declan Rice (CM) - The first name on the team sheet for Moyes, each and every game.

Tomas Soucek (CM) - A new contract is in the offing for Soucek, who despite not scoring as many goals as last season, continues to impress in West Ham's midfield.

Pablo Fornals (CM) - The Spaniard never stops running, something that endears him to the West Ham faithful. Another 100% fully committed display required here.

3. Forwards

Said Benrahma
Said Benrahma will add creativity and flair to West Ham's attack / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages

Jarrod Bowen (RF) - Returned from injury on Sunday to score the winner against Everton, and was crucially taken off with 20 minutes to go in order to get him through the full game here.

Michail Antonio (ST) - Antonio is struggling to find the back of the net for West Ham but his last couple of performances have been encouraging - bullying defenders and being an all-round nuisance. Stay central and Lyon could have a real problem.

Said Benrahma (LF) - The Algerian has lots of ability and can fashion chances out of nothing - the key for him is finding consistency and delivering telling final balls.

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