Mohammed Kudus and Konstantinos Mavropanos return to the West Ham United starting XI for the UEFA Europa League Group A match against SC Freiburg.
The two summer signings made their mark in the Irons’ UEFA Europa League opener, a 3-1 win at home to FK TSC Bačka Topola, and the duo are included in Thursday evening’s starting XI.
They are joined by Pablo Fornals, Thilo Kehrer and Łukasz Fabiański in the five changes to the side from the 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Saturday.
Fabiański returns in goal in Europe for the Hammers, with the 38-year-old looking for the 47th clean-sheet of his West Ham career. He kept one on his only other European away outing for the east London side, in a 2-0 win away to Dinamo Zagreb in September 2021.
Mavropanos – who played his first Premier League minutes of the season on Saturday - is joined in the defensive line by Czech Republic international full-back Vladimír Coufal, Moroccan international Nayef Aguerd and German Kehrer, who previously faced Freiburg in the Bundesliga during his Schalke 04 days.
Edson Álvarez also starts in Germany for the Hammers, with the Mexican featuring alongside Spaniard Fornals in midfield. Joining them is midfielder James Ward-Prowse, who has two goals and five assists in seven appearances for the Club since joining from Southampton in the summer.
Lucas Paquetá makes appearance number 50 in Claret and Blue this evening. The Brazilian has six goals and eight assists in his West Ham career so far and will be looking to note the landmark number with a good display at Stadion am Wolfswinkel.
Ghanaian Kudus will be eager to continue his fantastic early-season form in the UEFA Europa League. The 23-year-old netted a hat-trick for Ajax in a Europa League qualifier against Ludogorets before joining the Hammers, with the attacker also scoring twice in the win over FK TSC two weeks ago.
Jarrod Bowen, on the day of his recall to the England squad for the October internationals, leads the line. The 26-year-old makes his first European appearance of this season, with five goals and one assist in seven Premier League outings so far this campaign.
A finish this evening would move Bowen ahead of Michail Antonio as West Ham United’s top European goalscorer, a record they currently hold jointly with nine finishes respectively.
Manager David Moyes has a wealth of experience available on the bench, should he require it.
Alphonse Areola and Joseph Anang are the goalkeeping options among the substitutes and they are joined by Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna, Emerson Palmieri, Tomáš Souček, Saïd Benrahma, Maxwel Cornet and Danny Ings.
Conor Coventy and Divin Mubama complete the names on the substitutes’ bench.
SC Freiburg: Atubolu, Sildillia, Ginter, Lienhart, Sallai, Eggestein, Höfler, Kübler, Adamu, Grifo (c), Höler
Subs: Müller (GK), Uphoff (GK), Schmidt, Gulde, Weißhaupt, Philipp, Makengo, Röhl, Rüdlin, Doan, Breunig
West Ham United: Fabiański (c), Coufal, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Kehrer, Álvarez, Ward-Prowse, Fornals, Paquetá, Kudus, Bowen
Subs: Areola (GK), Anang (GK), Zouma, Ogbonna, Emerson, Souček, Coventry, Cornet, Benrahma, Ings, Mubama
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim (Sweden)
