West Ham will hope to carry on in their winning ways when they take on Leicester City on Monday night. Both sides came away with three points in their respective opening fixtures but faced much better competition this time around. Hammers will be returning to the stadium to watch their team in the Premier League for the first time since February 2020 and will be sure to create an intimidating atmosphere for the visiting FA Cup champions.
Date: 23/08/21
Time: 8pm
Venue: London Stadium
Referee: Michael Oliver
Where to watch: Sky Sports
Match Preview:
West Ham came from behind twice to beat Newcastle last week, showing great character and attacking prowess to put four past the Magpies. Whilst the attacking players shined, David Moyes would certainly have been concerned with the defense who capitulated, allowing Newcastle to score too easily. They will be facing a much more potent attacking force when they host Leicester, who has Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho, and new signing Patson Daka at their disposal. The Hammers may revert to a back five to counter this threat – as they did in both victories against the Foxes last season.
However, West Ham’s attack was so fluid and clinical against Newcastle, Moyes may elect to keep things the same and hope to outscore the Foxes. Leicester beat Wolves in their opening fixture, but it was not as comfortable a victory as the 1-0 scoreline suggests, and they had their fair share of defensive issues.
Team News:
West Ham came away from the Newcastle game unscathed and will likely have the same players available, provided there are no injuries in training. Arthur Masuaku is the only player unavailable as he continues to make appearances for the Under-23’s on his return to full fitness.
Predicted XI:
Fabianski, Cresswell, Ogbonna, Dawson, Coufal, Rice, Soucek, Fornals, Benrahma, Bowen, Antonio.