Angelo Ogbonna returns to the West Ham United starting line-up for the first time since November for Thursday night’s UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round first leg against Viborg FF.
The Italy defender suffered a serious knee injury late last year and has spent the last nine months recovering and building his fitness up to ready himself for a first team return.
He will captain the Hammers tonight as they aim to take a step towards qualifying for the group stages of the Europa Conference League.
There are also full debuts for summer signings Gianluca Scamacca and Maxwel Cornet as David Moyes makes seven changes from the side which faced Nottingham Forest in the Premier League last weekend.
Vladimir Coufal, Ben Johnson, Tomáš Souček and Jarrod Bowen are the only survivors from the XI which lined-up at the City Ground.
Coming into the team are goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, who featured regularly in last season’s run to the Europa League semi-finals, Manuel Lanzini, and youngsters Harrison Ashby and Conor Coventry.
Germany international Thilo Kehrer, who this week completed his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, is named on a 12-man substitutes bench, which also includes experience in the likes of Darren Randolph, Kurt Zouma, Pablo Fornals, Saïd Benrahma, Michail Antonio and Flynn Downes; and youth in the shape of Nathan Trott, Jamal Baptiste, Pierre Ekwah, Dan Chesters and Armstrong Okoflex.
West Ham United: Areola, Coufal, Johnson, Ogbonna ©, Ashby, Souček, Coventry, Cornet, Lanzini, Bowen, Scamacca
Subs: Randolph (GK), Trott (GK), Baptiste, Kehrer, Zouma, Downes, Ekwah, Fornals, Chesters, Okoflex, Benrahma, Antonio
Viborg FF: Lund, Anyembe, Zaletel, Bürgy, Sørensen, Grønning ©, Žambůrek, Leemans, Bonde, Grot, Lonwijk
Subs: Killerich (GK), Gaaei, Lauritsen, Søndergaard, Mortimer, Thorsen, Berger
Referee: Marco Di Bello (Italy)
