da betcris： West Ham were unlucky not to walk away with all three points from Old Trafford last Sunday as they held Manchester United in what was a thrilling 1-1 draw.
da casino： The Hammers took an early lead through the returning Diafra Sakho, but were pegged back soon after thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic latching on to a fine Paul Pogba cross to head home.
Chances were plentiful at each end for the remaining 70 minutes, but it was the visitors who came closest via ex- Man United youngster Ashley Fletcher in the dying moments, who was denied by an excellent David de Gea stop.
Slaven Bilic’s side are still struggling after a poor start to the season, however, their performances are certainly on the up, with a number of key players including Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini beginning to look back to their best.
A tough fixture at home to Arsenal is next up in the league, though. Can the Irons follow up their positive result at United with a win against their London rivals? Here at FFC we think this XI could just do it…
‘Keeper
Darren Randolph was kept extremely busy at Old Trafford last weekend, but the Irishman rose to the occasion, producing multiple fine saves to deny Zlatan Ibrahimovic et al. Randolph has ousted former No.1 Adrian from the starting line-up, and with displays like that, you can see why.
If West Ham are to steal a result against the Gunners, their ‘keeper will need to show that same form again to deny Arsenal’s dangerous attacking line.
Defence
One thing the Hammers need to sort out if they are going to get back to winning ways is their defence, and that begins with creating a solid back four.
Aaron Cresswell is the obvious choice down the left, but having picked up an injury against Man United in midweek, Arthur Masuaku looks to be the best option. At right-back, Slaven Bilic should give the young Sam Byram a chance to show his stuff.
With two inexperienced full-backs, West Ham will need all the know-how they can get in the middle of the defence to help control the back four. Angelo Ogbonna stood out against Man United and had little trouble dealing with both Ibrahimovic and Rashford all afternoon. With Winston Reid out, veteran James Collins should step in, with a big performance needed from the Welshman as the most experienced of the bunch at the back.
Midfield
Five in midfield for the Hammers: it worked last season so why would it not now? Out wide right would have been man-of-the-moment Michail Antonio, but for the injury he picked up in midweek. In his place, Edimilson Fernandes may be worth a go, with the Swiss utility man having shone in a range of positions since his summer arrival.
On the opposite flank, Andre Ayew. Signed as a striker (who knows why), the Ghanaian is clearly more comfortable out wide and may start to produce the form he showed at Swansea if played in his natural position.
Cheikhou Kouyaté was a huge part of the Hammers’ success last season, however, he seems to have fallen into poor form so far this year, mostly due to inconsistency with his positioning. Sit him in front of the back four to provide solidity – something he was so excellent at last campaign – and let Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini roam free going forward.
Striker
Picking up injuries has been a recurring theme for West Ham over the past few days, with last weekend’s goalscorer Diafra Sakho also sidelined. In his place Ashley Fletcher may well get the nod after scoring in EFL Cup action, with Simone Zaza having failed to justify the Hammers’ decision to loan him in from Juventus thus far.