Nayef Aguerd makes his first Premier League start for West Ham United in Wednesday evening’s match away to Leeds United.
The Moroccan, who joined the Hammers in the summer from Stade Rennais, has been unfortunate with injury and illness since switching France for east London, and has made one solitary league outing for the Irons so far.
The centre-back will finally make his full debut in the Premier League for West Ham as manager David Moyes makes four changes to the starting XI from Friday’s defeat to Brentford.
Aguerd is joined in being added to the starting XI by Thilo Kehrer, Tomáš Souček and Pablo Fornals.
Experienced goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański continues in between the post for the Irons. The 37-year-old lines up for appearance number 334 in the Premier League, having won three of his four outings against Leeds.
Vladimír Coufal continues in his role at full-back for the Irons for his 20th appearance of the season in all competitions, while Craig Dawson also retains his place in the defensive line. The defender netted in a 2-0 win over tonight’s opponents in March 2021.
Dawson is joined in the back-line by the aforementioned Aguerd and Kehrer. Aguerd makes his fifth West Ham appearance while German international Kehrer comes in for his 20th match since joining the Hammers from Paris Saint-Germain.
Midfielder Souček is restored to the team after being on the bench last time out, at home to Brentford. The 27-year-old scored a first-half opener at Elland Road in a 2-1 win against Leeds in December 2020.
Captain Declan Rice makes West Ham outing number 218 just ten days before his 24th birthday, while Lucas Paquetá comes up against the Peacocks for the first time in his career.
Fornals returns to the starting XI for the first time since scoring in the Carabao Cup clash with Blackburn Rovers in November. The Spaniard is playing in his 25th match of the season so far for the Irons.
Jarrod Bowen netted in the 2-0 FA Cup third round win over Leeds last season and will be hoping for a third Premier League goal of the campaign on Wednesday evening. In starting tonight, Bowen will have featured against Leeds eleven times in his career, more than any other club.
Gianluca Scamacca leads the line for the visitors this evening and will be keen to belatedly celebrate his birthday, having turned 24 on New Year’s Day, with a seventh goal of the campaign.
Aaron Cresswell, Angelo Ogbonna, Emerson Palmieri and Saïd Benrahma drop to the bench for the Irons, with goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, Ben Johnson, Flynn Downes, Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio also among the options available.
West Ham United: Fabiański, Coufal, Dawson, Aguerd, Kehrer, Rice ©, Souček, Fornals, Paquetá, Bowen, Scamacca
Subs: Areola (GK), Ogbonna, Cresswell, Johnson, Emerson, Downes, Benrahma, Lanzini, Antonio
Leeds United: Meslier, Ayling, Koch, Cooper ©, Struijk, Aaronson, Roca, Adams, Summerville, Gnonto, Rodrigo
Subs: Robles (GK), Firpo, Harrison, Llorente, Gyabi, Kristensen, Gelhardt, Greenwood, Klich
Referee: David Coote
