Gianluca Scamacca

Team News: Scamacca and Emerson start, Rice returns at Aston Villa

Emerson Palmieri will make his first appearance in Claret and Blue, with Gianluca Scamacca also named in West Ham United’s Premier League starting XI for the first-time against Aston Villa.

The Italy internationals are two of the three changes made by David Moyes at Villa Park from the Hammers’ last Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion, while Ben Johnson is also back in the domestic team after impressing midweek at Viborg FF in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) play-off round second-leg win.

Attackers Michail Antonio and Saïd Benrahma drop to a strong substitutes bench that also seats defender Vladimír Coufal, who is in the matchday squad after clearing of concussion protocols that forced his absence midweek.

Image removed.The Irons will have three summer signings in their team against Aston Villa, with Germany defender Thilo Kehrer also retained after he made his debut against the Seagulls last Sunday. 

Scamacca, who has two goals in two starts in the UECL, will make his full Premier League debut at Villa Park, while Emerson will slot into defence alongside Johnson, Kehrer, Kurt Zouma and Aaron Cresswell.

The backline will line up in front of Łukasz Fabiański, who keeps his place in the Premier League eleven after Alphonse Areola started between the sticks in Denmark.

After missing the second leg of our UECL tie due to suspension, Declan Rice will return as skipper to partner Tomáš Souček in midfield. Rice will make his 199th appearance in Claret and Blue, with Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen leading the links to Scamacca.

Benrahma will hope to make an impact from the ’ bench after netting his first goal of the season on Thursday, while Maxwel Cornet and Manuel Lanzini are two further attacking options for Moyes to call upon.

The Irons also have Conor Coventry, Flynn Downes and Angelo Ogbonna on the bench should they be required.  

 

West Ham United: Fabiański, Johnson, Kehrer, Zouma, Cresswell, Emerson, Rice ©, Souček, Bowen, Fornals, Scamacca
Subs: Areola (GK), Coufal, Ogbonna, Coventry, Downes, Lanzini, Cornet, Benrahma, Antonio