Flynn Downes will make his full West Ham United debut this evening, having been named in the starting XI for tonight’s UEFA Europa Conference League Group B match with FCSB.
The midfielder, who joined from Swansea City in the summer, makes his first start for the Club he has supported since he was a child, having made three outings from the bench, including both legs of the play-off round win over Danish opponents Viborg FF.
Downes’ inclusion is one of seven changes to the starting XI from Saturday’s Premier League match away to Chelsea.
Alphonse Areola features in goal, coming in for Łukasz Fabiański, while Vladimír Coufal, Thilo Kehrer and Emerson Palmieri are joined by Italian centre-back Angelo Ogbonna in the defensive line, with the 34-year-old slotting into the side in place of Kurt Zouma.
Downes will play in midfield alongside captain Declan Rice, with the skipper making his first European outing of the season after missing the two UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers with Viborg due to suspension.
Saïd Benrahma comes into the starting XI for tonight’s game having scored and provided an assist across the two matches with Viborg, as do Manuel Lanzini and Maxwel Cornet.
Gianluca Scamacca leads the line after scoring in both legs against the Danes. The Italian attacker is in for his fourth start of the campaign since his move from US Sassuolo.
Among the 12 substitutes available to manager David Moyes this evening are four names from the development team. Hungarian goalkeeper Krisztián Hegyi, midfielder Freddie Potts and striker Divin Mubama are included, while full-back Regan Clayton is in a senior competitive squad for the first time.
Clayton, 17, has started the U21s' last four Premier League 2 fixtures, as well as the Papa Johns Trophy group-stage victory at Walsall. He has been with the Academy of Football since the age of ten.
Craig Dawson is included in a matchday squad for the first time this season, after injury, and is joined on the bench by Zouma, Darren Randolph, Conor Coventry, Pablo Fornals, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio.
West Ham United: Areola, Coufal, Kehrer, Ogbonna, Emerson, Rice (c), Downes, Benrahma, Lanzini, Cornet, Scamacca
Subs: Randolph, Hegyi, Zouma, Dawson, Clayton, Coventry, Potts, Fornals, Lucas Paquetá, Bowen, Mubama, Antonio
FSCB: Târnovanu, Crețu, Dawa, Tamm, Radunović, Olaru, Edjouma, Oaidă, Coman (c), Cordea, Compagno
Subs: Vlad, Haruț, Boboc, Bouhenna, Șerban, Pantea, Dulca, Radaslavescu, Popescu, Miculescu, Rusu, Stoica
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA)
