Team news: Balbuena returns as Hammers make one change for Wolves

Fabian Balbuena


Fabian Balbuena returns to the West Ham United starting line-up for Sunday evening's Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Hammers make one change from the side which suffered a narrow, unfortunate defeat at Arsenal last weekend, with the Paraguay centre-back coming in for Issa Diop, who is absent after testing positive for Covid-19 this week.

Balbuena slots into a back three alongside Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell, with Ryan Fredericks and Arthur Masuaku set to be deployed as wing-backs.

Mark Noble has recovered from a toe problem and is named on the bench, with skipper for the night Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek continuing in the centre of the park.

Michail Antonio, who notched his first goal of the campaign at Emirates Stadium, is up front, with Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals providing support from out wide.

Sebastien Haller and Andriy Yarmolenko, who both scored twice in the midweek Carabao Cup victory over Hull City, provide further attacking options from the bench.

West Ham United: Fabianski, Ogbonna, Balbuena, Cresswell, Fredericks, Rice (c), Soucek, Masuaku, Bowen, Antonio, Fornals
Subs: Randolph, Johnson, Noble, Lanzini, Felipe Anderson, Yarmolenko, Haller

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Patricio, Boly, Coady (c), Saiss, Semedo, Moutinho, Neves, Vinagre, Traore, Jimenez, Neto
Subs: Ruddy, Hoever, Silva, Dendoncker, Vitinha, Shabani, Kilman

Referee: Martin Atkinson