Divin Mubama starts for West Ham United in Thursday night’s UEFA Europa League Group A tie at FK TSC Bačka Topola.
The 19-year-old forward played a key role in Dara O’Shea’s equalising own goal in Saturday’s 2-1 victory at Burnley and is rewarded with a role from the off in Serbia.
Mubama has appeared from bench in our Group A away tie at Freiburg and home meeting with Olympiacos this term, adding to his two Europa Conference League outings – and goal against AEK Larnaca – in 2022/23.
Mubama is one of seven changes from the side which kicked-off at Turf Moor, as David Moyes shuffles his pack amidst a hectic winter schedule.
Łukasz Fabiański returns in goal, as he has done in five of our six cup ties so far this term, and the No1 will be seeking a first clean sheet in this competition.
In front of him Academy graduate Ben Johnson lines up at right back, with Dinos Mavropanos playing alongside one of the players retained from Burnley – Nayef Aguerd – at centre-back.
Aaron Cresswell is named at left-back as the 33-year-old makes his 336th career appearance in Claret and Blue.
In midfield, Tomáś Souček will hope to continue in his rich vein of goalscoring form. By notching the winner against Burnley, the Czech Republic international netted for a fourth consecutive game for club and country.
He is joined by James Ward-Prowse and Pablo Fornals, who makes a record-extending 30th European appearance for the Hammers.
The player he shares that record with, Saïd Benrahma, is also in the starting XI for his 150th West Ham game, where he will join Lucas Paquetá – scorer of the winner last time out in Europe against Olympiacos – in supporting Mubama in attack.
On the bench, the manager has a mixture of experience and youth to choose from, with the likes of Danny Ings, Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna being supplemented by 21-year-old winger Dan Chesters, 17-year-old left-back Ollie Scarles and midfielder Lewis Orford, who is also 17.
West Ham United: Fabiański, Johnson, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Cresswell, Fornals, Ward-Prowse, Souček, Paquetá, Benrahma, Mubama
Subs: Areola (GK), Anang (GK), Emerson, Scarles, Kehrer, Zouma, Ogbonna, Orford, Coventry, Chesters, Cornet, Ings
FK TSC Bačka Topola: Ilić, Antonić ©, Čalušić, Stojić, Petrović, Cvetković, Radin, Kuveljić, Ćirković, Milovanović, Đakovac
Subs: Simić (GK), Jorgić (GK), Mirchevski, Pantović, Vulić, Krstić, Vlalukin, Sós, Rakonjac
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
