David Moyes has named a strong senior starting XI for West Ham United’s mid-season fixture at Italian club Udinese Calcio on Saturday afternoon.
With five players away on FIFA World Cup duty and Maxwel Cornet, Aaron Cresswell and Kurt Zouma unavailable due to injury, the Scot’s options were limited to an extent, but he has still selected a team including eight full internationals.
Former Poland goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański starts in goal behind a back four of Czech Republic right-back Vladimír Coufal, Craig Dawson, captain Angelo Ogbonna and fellow Italy international Emerson.
The midfield will be anchored by Flynn Downes and Coufal’s Czech national team captain Tomáš Souček, with England’s Jarrod Bowen, Algerian Saïd Benrahma and Spain’s Pablo Fornals supporting a third Italy international, Gianluca Scamacca, in attack.
The substitutes' bench will be comprised of a mixture of experienced seniors and young hopefuls, led by Argentina international Manuel Lanzini, England U21 defender Ben Johnson, Jamaica forward Michail Antonio and 50-cap Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Darren Randolph.
The bench will be filled out by some of the Club’s promising Academy of Football prospects, namely Hungary U21 goalkeeper Krisztián Hegyi, full-back Ollie Scarles, centre-backs Levi Laing and Northern Ireland U19 international Michael Forbes, France U20 midfielder Pierre Ekwah and Freddie Potts and forward Kamarai Swyer.
Udinese coach Andrea Sottil is also without a number of regulars, but does name former Watford duo Roberto Pereyra, an Argentina No10 who is also his captain, and Isaac Success, a Nigeria forward, in his team.
Also starting is centre-forward Beto, a 24-year-old who was playing in the Portuguese third tier as recently as 2019 and whose goals have seen him become one of Serie A’s hottest prospects in recent months.
West Ham United: Fabiański, Coufal, Dawson, Ogbonna ©, Emerson, Downes, Souček, Fornals, Benrahma, Scamacca
Subs: Randolph (GK), Hegyi (GK), Johnson, Scarles, Forbes, Laing, Coventry, Ekwah, Lanzini, F.Potts, Antonio, Swyer
Udinese: Silvestri, Ehizibue, Bijol, Perez, Pereyra ©, Ebosele, Walace, Lovric, Samardzic, Beto, Success
Subs: Padelli (GK), Piana (GK), Guessano, Buta, Arslan, Jajalo, Pafundi, Nestorovski, Cocetta, Abdalla, Russo, Centis
Referee: Daniele Chiffi
