Luis Guilherme draped in a Brazil flag

Starting XI | Luis Guilherme and Kilman make West Ham debuts in Austria

Luis Guilherme and Maximilian Kilman make their first appearances in a West Ham United shirt as the Julen Lopetegui era begins on Monday afternoon.

The Hammers tackle Hungarian champions Ferencváros in their first pre-season fixture to be played since Lopetegui was formally appointed as Head Coach in the Austrian Alpine ski resort of Kitzbühel..

Brazilian winger Guilherme starts following his summer transfer from Palmeiras, while centre-back Kilman is also in the team after completing his move from Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Lopetegui is also looking to the future in his starting XI by naming 2023 FA Youth Cup winners Lewis Orford and Gideon Kodua, as well as their fellow Academy of Football graduate Freddie Potts, who spent last season impressing on loan at EFL League One side Wycombe Wanderers.

Otherwise, the six other starters at the Sportstadion Langau are players who were members of the first-team squad last season.

Łukasz Fabiański starts in goal. The 39-year-old begins his 20th season as a full-time professional by taking his place between the sticks.

Ahead of him, the defence will be comprised of Aaron Cresswell, Dinos Mavropanos and Kilman. The midfield will include James Ward-Prowse, Guilherme, Orford and Potts, with a front three of Kodua, Maxwel Cornet and Mohammed Kudus.

It remains to be seen how Lopetegui will line his team up but, with this being the first pre-season fixture at the end of a week of hard work in hot conditions at altitude, the Spaniard will surely make plenty of substitutions throughout the course of the 90 minutes.

Among the replacements he has to call upon is Wes Foderingham, who has completed a summer transfer from Sheffield United, Kurt Zouma, Danny Ings, Nayef Aguerd, Emerson and Scot Andy Irving, and plenty of potential in the shape of Academy youngsters George Earthy, Kaelan Casey, Junior Robinson, Northern Irish trio Sean Moore, Callum Marshall and Patrick Kelly and goalkeepers Mason Terry and Finlay Herrick.

Lopetegui and his staff have been working without several senior players who have been away on international duty, including Tomáš Souček and Vladimír Coufal, Alphonse Areola, Michail Antonio, Lucas Paquetá, Edson Álvarez and Jarrod Bowen.

Monday's action will be streamed live and for free to supporters in the UK on the Club’s official Website, AppYouTubeTikTok and Facebook channels, with coverage starting 15 minutes before the 4pm CEST (3pm BST) kick-off, with highlights and exclusive reaction after the final whistle.

 

West Ham United: Fabiański, Cresswell, Mavropanos, Kilman, Orford, Potts, Ward-Prowse, Guilherme, Kudus, Cornet, Kodua
Subs: Foderingham (GK), Terry (GK), Herrick (GK), Robinson, Emerson, Zouma, Aguerd, Casey, Earthy, Irving, Kelly, Moore, Marshall, Ings

 

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