Angelo Ogbonna captains West Ham United for the third time in his career in Thursday’s UEFA Europa Conference League Group B tie at RSC Anderlecht in Belgium.
As he did in the 3-1 home win over Danish side Viborg FF in the Play-Off round first leg, the experienced Italian skippers the side at Lotto Park, where David Moyes has named a much-changed team from the one which started Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Only Craig Dawson and Jarrod Bowen start both games, meaning nine fresh faces come into the side in Brussels.
Michail Antonio and Saïd Benrahma both start and make their record-breaking 17th appearances for the Club in competitive European fixtures.
Algerian attacker Benrahma scored both goals as West Ham drew 2-2 with Anderlecht’s Belgian First Division A rivals KRC Genk in the UEFA Europa League group-stage in October last year.
Centre-forward Antonio also started that game, as did centre-back Dawson, goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and midfielder Manuel Lanzini, all of whom start again this evening.
Making up the starting XI are Ben Johnson, who returns from a thigh injury, left wing-back Emerson, who scored in the 3-1 home win over FCSB of Romania on Group B Matchday One, and central midfielder Flynn Downes, who made his first start for his boyhood club in the same tie.
So, West Ham will line up with Areola in goal, a back three of Johnson, Dawson and Ogbonna, Coufal and Emerson as wing-backs, Downes and Lanzini in central midfield, then Bowen and Benrahma supporting Antonio in attack.
The headline on the substitutes’ bench is the inclusion of 16-year-old midfielder Oliver Scarles. The England U17 international has featured for West Ham’s U18s and U21s this season, registering three assists in three games for the youth team and making his debut in both Premier League 2 and the Papa Johns Trophy.
Scarles (pictured) will have plenty of experience to lean upon on the bench, where he is joined by no fewer than ten full internationals and Republic of Ireland U21 captain Conor Coventry. He will wear the No68 shirt.
Kick-off at Lotto Park is at 5.45pm BST (6.45pm in Belgium) and you can watch the game live in the UK on BT Sport 2, or follow the action across our website, app and social channels.
West Ham United: Areola, Coufal, Johnson, Dawson, Ogbonna ©, Emerson, Downes, Lanzini, Bowen, Benrahma, Antonio
Subs: Fabiański (GK), Randolph (GK), Cresswell, Kehrer, Zouma, Rice, Coventry, Souček, Scarles, Fornals, Lucas Paquetá, Scamacca
RSC Anderlecht: Van Crombrugge ©, Debast, Hoedt, Delcroix, Murillo, Ashimeru, Diawara, Arnstad, Amuzu, Verschaeren, Fábio Silva
Subs: Verbruggen (GK), Coosemans (GK), Vertonghen, Sadiki, Sardella, N’Diaye, Raman, Refaelov, Stroeykens, Esposito, Duranville, Stassin
Referee: Novak Simovic (Serbia)
