Edson Álvarez returns to the starting line-up for West Ham United’s Premier League clash away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, in the only change from Tuesday night’s 1-1 home draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
The Mexico international has been absent from the Hammers’ previous two fixtures through suspension, having picked up his tenth yellow card in the league against Aston Villa last month.
An integral member of David Moyes’ squad since his arrival from Ajax last summer, Álvarez is set to add to his 35 appearances in all competitions at Molineux, replacing Michail Antonio in the XI.
Forward Antonio has scored two goals in his last three games, and could feature for West Ham for the 300th time in his career if called upon from the bench by manager Moyes.
In the 34-year-old’s absence, top scorer Jarrod Bowen will likely lead the line, with the England international looking to add to his 19 goals in all competitions this afternoon.
The Irons’ No20 currently has 15 strikes to his name in the league, and one more would see him equal Paolo Di Canio’s Club record for the most scored in the Premier League in a single season.
Bowen scored the last of three goals that settled a comfortable win over Wolves at London Stadium in the reverse fixture, and Mohammed Kudus - who scored a first-half brace that day - also starts in attack in the West Midlands.
Kudus will be looking to replicate that showing and extend an impressive record of three goals in his last four outings, while Lucas Paquetá is also in from the first whistle for his 36th appearance of the campaign.
James Ward-Prowse and Tomáš Souček join the aforementioned Álvarez in midfield, ahead of Emerson, captain Kurt Zouma, Dinos Mavropanos and Vladimír Coufal in defence.
Experienced goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański keeps his spot between the sticks with Alphonse Areola continuing to recover from the groin injury he sustained at Newcastle United last weekend.
Defender Nayef Aguerd, who has been missing from the last two matchday squads due to a shoulder problem, is fit to return to the bench, where he is joined by Joseph Anang, Ben Johnson, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell, Kalvin Phillips, Maxwel Cornet, Danny Ings and Antonio.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sá, Semedo, Kilman ©, Toti, S. Bueno, Aït-Nouri, Doherty, M. Lemina, João Gomes, Doyle, Sarabia
Subs: Bentley (GK), Traoré, Cunha, N Lemina, Dawson, H Bueno, Chirewa, Fraser, Chiwome
West Ham United: Fabiański, Coufal, Zouma ©, Mavropanos, Emerson, Álvarez, Souček, Ward-Prowse, Kudus, Paquetá, Bowen
Subs: Anang (GK), Johnson, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Cresswell, Phillips, Cornet, Ings, Antonio
Referee: Tony Harrington
