David Moyes has made four changes to his West Ham United starting line-up from the Premier League defeat by Fulham for our UEFA Europa League quarter-final second-leg clash at home to Bayer Leverkusen at London Stadium.
Jarrod Bowen, Kurt Zouma, Aaron Cresswell and Tomáš Souček are all in the team, with Dinos Mavropanos, Emerson, Lucas Paquetá and Danny Ings the four players who miss out.
Ings is named among the substitutes, but Emerson and Paquetá are ruled out through for the Hammers through suspension, after picking up three yellow cards apiece in the UEFA Europa League this term, while Mavropanos has been unable to shake off a knock that saw him come off midway through the second half against Fulham.
Bowen, meanwhile, makes his first West Ham appearance since the 2-1 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers at the start of April. The 27-year-old, who is the Irons’ top goalscorer this season with 19 goals in all competitions, is making his 199th appearance in Claret and Blue this evening.
Souček returns to midfield in place of the suspended Paquetá, while skipper Zouma starts in the heart of defence.
A fourth change from Sunday’s 2-0 defeat against Fulham sees Cresswell, who scored against SC Freiburg in the round of 16, fill in at left-back.
Łukasz Fabiański starts in goal. The Pole makes his ninth appearance in this season's competition, having kept four clean sheets for the Hammers.
Cresswell, as mentioned, is back in the defensive line and plays alongside fellow returnee Zouma, while Nayef Agued and Vladimír Coufal - on his 150th appearance for the Club - complete the defensive ranks.
Edson Álvarez and James Ward-Prowse will be joined in midfield by the aforementioned Souček, who has been West Ham’s most-featured player so far this season, with tonight marking his 47th appearance of the season. He will be looking to build on his nine goals scored in all competitions this campaign, two of which have come in the Europa League.
The front three will consist of Mohammed Kudus, Michail Antonio and leading scorer Bowen, who is also our highest-ever European goalscorer.
West Ham boast a wealth of young talent on the substitutes bench, with the likes of Jacob Knightbridge, Lewis Orford, Kaelan Casey, Kamarai Swyer and Divin Mubama all hoping to earn valuable senior minutes.
West Ham United: Fabiański, Coufal, Zouma ©, Aguerd, Cresswell, Álvarez, Ward-Prowse, Souček, Kudus, Bowen, Antonio
Subs: Anang (GK), Knightbridge (GK), Ogbonna, Ings, Johnson, Cornet, Mubama, Orford, Casey, Swyer
Bayer Leverkusen: Kovář, Stanišić, Tah ©, Kossounou, Hincapié, Palacios, Xhaka, Tella, Wirtz, Grimaldo, Schick
Subs: Hradecky (GK), Lomb (GK), Hofmann, Andrich, Tapsoba, Arthur, Adli, Boniface, Frimpong, Puerta, Izekor
Referee: José Maria Sánchez (Spain)
