West Ham United v Sunderland
Saturday 22 October
London Stadium
3pm
West Ham United
Goalkeepers: In line to make his 99th Premier League appearance on Saturday, Adrian will be keen to notch his 27th clean sheet when Sunderland take to the London Stadium pitch. Adrian moved to England in July 2013 from his hometown club Real Betis and has since provided a strong base for the team to build from. After making the No1 shirt his own in 2014, he has produced a number of eye-catching displays and grew in confidence and stature last season as his heroics between the sticks helped the Hammers qualifiy for the Europa League. Behind the Spaniard in the pecking order is former Birmingham stopper Darren Randolph, who provides adequate back-up.
Defence: Just in front of Adrian, Winston Reid and Angelo Ogbonna make up the heart of the Hammers defence. Reid, a New Zealand international, has been at the London-based club since August 2010 and can play at both right-back and centre-back. Standing alongside Reid is Italian international Ogbonna who joined West Ham in 2015 from UEFA Champions League runners-up Juventus. However, with Sam Byram and Arthur Masuaku both sidelined, as well as Aaron Cresswell suspended, that has left Slaven Bilic scratching his head over who he can play in both full-back berths. Former Liverpool and Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa could be deployed as well as James Collins who is a commanding centre-back and is renowned for putting his body on the line.
Midfield: Skipper Mark Noble provides a wealth of experience in the centre of the park and really makes things tick for Bilic’s team. With over 300 appearances for West Ham, Noble is the most experienced leader the Hammers have got and he has enjoyed a fine career at his boyhood club. Cheikhou Kouyate and Pedro Obiang add further steel and their roles allow the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet to flourish. Also, England international and Hammers top scorer so far this campaign with five goals, Michail Antonio offers another dimension on the flanks as his mesmeric rise from non-league through to the Premier League highlights his undoubted quality.
Attack: Plagued with injuries in their advanced areas, none of West Ham’s strikers have scored this season. While Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho and Andre Ayew remain sidelined, Simone Zaza has occupied the lone striker role thus far. Zaza joined the Hammers on loan from Juventus in the summer after featuring for Italy at UEFA Euro 2016. The 25-year-old’s move to England was his first outside his homeland after spells at Sampdoria, Juventus and Sassuolo. Besides Zaza, Bilic has former Manchester United starlet Ashley Fletcher to call on as back-up. The Keighley-born forward began his youth career at Bolton Wanderers but was soon scouted by the Old Trafford giants. Fletcher then impressed on a loan spell at Barnsley last season and his play-off final strike for the Tykes helped send them back to the Championship. Still only 21, Fletcher is finding his feet in the top flight as he continues to search for his first Hammers goal.
Manager: Former West Ham United player and a fan favourite, Slaven Bilic returned to Upton Park ahead of the 2015/16 Premier League campaign as he was announced as Sam Allardyce’s successor. The Croatian began his managerial career at Hajduk Split in 2001 and racked up over 100 appearances for them across two spells. Bilic also represented his country 44 times as he helped Croatia finish third at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Following his short spell as manager at Hajduk Split, Bilic went on to coach the Croatia under-21 side in 2004 before being announced as the national team manager in 2006. The 48-year-old then enjoyed a six-year reign of his national team and in that time guided them to the quarter-finals of the 2008 UEFA European Championship. A year-long stay with Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow followed his tenure as Croatia manager before he spent two years in Turkey with Besiktas. Then, in June 2015, West Ham appointed Bilic and the Croat enjoyed a fine debut season at the Hammers helm as they qualified for the Europa League.
Team news
West Ham United
The Hammers will remain without Andre Ayew, Sam Byram and Arthur Masuaku for the visit of Sunderland.
Slaven Bilic will provide a more comprehensive injury update in his press conference later this week.
Sunderland
The Black Cats are still without a host of senior bodies for their trip to the capital this weekend. Fabio Borini, Lee Cattermole, Vito Mannone, Jan Kirchhoff, Adnan Januzaj and Seb Larsson are still some way off a return.
David Moyes will provide the latest injury update in his press conference on Friday morning.
Last time out
Crystal Palace 0-1 West Ham United (WHUFC.co.uk)
Manuel Lanzini was the hero for West Ham as he scored the crucial winner to help the Hammers record their first Premier League win since August with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. The Hammers certainly enjoy playing at Selhurst Park and following the 3-1 victory in south London last season, they came away with another impressive victory to help them move out of the bottom three. Slaven Bilic said his players had worked even harder over the international break to turn their season around and the results paid off as they celebrated a hard fought win.
Stoke City 2-0 Sunderland
Sunderland resumed their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 defeat against Stoke City at a blustery Bet365 Stadium. Marko Arnautovic starred for the previously winless Potters who led after just seven minutes, with Joe Allen – originally a doubt for the game – stooping low to head home from close range. The former Liverpool midfielder grabbed his second on the stroke of half-time, directing the ball through a crowded penalty area and into the bottom corner to leave Sunderland with a mountain to climb. Jordan Pickford once again impressed following his maiden England call-up, but although the stopper kept a glimmer of hope alive there was no way back for the Black Cats who tasted defeat for the sixth time in eight Premier League games.
Form (Premier League 2016-17 only)
West Ham United: LLLDW
Sunderland: LLLDL
