Gianluca Scamacca, Emerson and Angelo Ogbonna return to a Premier League starting XI for the first time since the FIFA World Cup finals, as Brentford visit London Stadium for the Hammers’ final game of 2022.
The Italian trio complete the three changes David Moyes makes from West Ham United’s Boxing Day defeat at Arsenal and will all make their first competitive start following the mid-season break.
As the Hammers look to conclude 2022 as they started, with a victory in a London derby, Tomáš Souček, Michail Antonio and Thilo Kehrer drop to a strong bench, which also sees Nayef Aguerd included as part of the Premier League squad for just the third time in his West Ham United career.
The No27 returns from a successful FIFA World Cup finals, which saw Morocco reach the semi-finals in Qatar, and looks for a fifth West Ham United appearance in all competitions, having made his Premier League debut against Leicester City back in November.
What looks to be a switch to a central back three for the Bees’ trip to east London could see Craig Dawson, Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell line-up in defence, with Vladimír Coufal and Emerson at wing-back, while Łukasz Fabiański, as he has in each game of the 2022/23 Premier League this season, starts in goal.
Skipper Declan Rice will line-up with Lucas Paquetá in midfield, with Jarrod Bowen and Saïd Benrahma supporting the fit-again Scamacca, who is looking for his seventh goal since signing for the Hammers from Sassuolo in August.
Searching for his fourth goal in his last six Premier League games, former Bee Benrahma netted from the spot against Arsenal last time out and will be out to sting his former team this evening.
West Ham United: Fabiański, Dawson, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Coufal, Rice ©, L. Paquetá, Emerson, Bowen, Benrahma, Scamacca
Subs: Areola (GK), Johnson, Kehrer, Aguerd, Souček, Downes, Lanzini, Fornals, Antonio
Brentford: Raya, Roerslev, Zanka, Pinnock, Mee, Henry, Jensen, Nørgaard ©, Dasilva, Mbeumo, Toney
Subs: Cox (GK), Jansson, Trevitt, Damsgaard, Ghoddos, Janelt, Wissa, Lewis-Potter, Canós
Referee: Darren England
