Head Coach Graham Potter has named an unchanged starting XI from the West Ham United team who beat Arsenal on Saturday for Thursday’s Premier League home fixture with Leicester City.
It is a case of not changing a winning team for Potter, who secured a notable win at Emirates Stadium through captain Jarrod Bowen’s 50th Premier League goal for the Club.
The 28-year-old England international leads the Hammers again at London Stadium, seeking to add to the three goals and two assists he has registered in seven career Premier League appearances against tonight’s opponents.
Bowen scored in a 3-0 away win in October 2020, registered a goal and an assist in a 3-2 home win in April 2021, then matched that achievement in a 2-2 draw at King Power Stadium in February 2022.
Two birthday boys also start for Potter. Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, who turns 32 today, is seeking consecutive Premier League clean sheets for the first time since keeping three in a row in December 2023-January 2024.
Midfielder Tomáš Souček hits the big 30 today. The Czech Republic international will hope to mark the occasion with his first career goal on his seventh appearance against Leicester.
With the Foxes having not kept a clean sheet on their travels this Premier League season, and conceded ten goals in their previous three games, Bowen and Souček will be confident of finding the net.
Areola will start in goal behind a back five of Aaron Wan-Bissaka – who assisted Bowen’s winner at the weekend – Jean-Clair Todibo, Maximilian Kilman, Aaron Cresswell and teenager Ollie Scarles.
The midfield will be anchored by Edson Álvarez, with the Mexican playing alongside Souček and James Ward-Prowse.
Bowen be joined in attack by Ghanaian 'Starboy' Mohammed Kudus.
Republic of Ireland international striker Evan Ferguson will hope to get on the pitch and score for the Hammers for the first time since joining on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of January, and having featured as a substitute twice previously.
The 20-year-old did not score for Brighton in a 2-2 draw at Leicester in early December, but he did score a late leveller for the Seagulls in a 2-2 Premier League draw at King Power Stadium in January 2023. He also netted a hat-trick for Brighton’s U21s in a 4-1 Premier League 2 win at Leicester in September 2022.
The substitutes’ bench will be comprised of goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański, defenders Emerson and Dinos Mavropanos, midfielders Guido Rodríguez, Andy Irving, Carlos Soler and Luis Guilherme, and strikers Ferguson and Danny Ings.
Michail Antonio, Vladimír Coufal, Niclas Füllkrug, Lucas Paquetá and Crysencio Summerville are all unavailable through injury.
West Ham United: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Cresswell, Scarles, Álvarez, Souček, Ward-Prowse, Bowen ©, Kudus
Subs: Fabiański (GK), Emerson, Mavropanos, Rodríguez, Irving, Soler, Luis Guilherme, Ings, Ferguson
Leicester City: Hermansen, Kristiansen, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin, Ndidi, Soumaré, El Khannouss, Buonanotte, De Cordova-Reid, Vardy ©
Subs: Stolarczyk (GK), Thomas, Coady, Okoli, Winks, Skipp, Mavididi, Ayew, Daka
Referee: Anthony Taylor
