Declan Rice's shirt at AEK Larnaca

Team News: Rice skippers Hammers in Larnaca

Declan Rice skippers West Ham United for their UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 first leg at AEK Larnaca on Thursday night.

The England midfielder leads a strong Hammers side, which includes ten full internationals as they take on the Cypriot outfit.

Alphonse Areola continues in goal, seeking a fifth European clean sheet of the campaign, while Thilo Kehrer has shaken off an illness to start at the back.

He is joined in defence by Kurt Zouma – starting for the first time since the Premier League win against Everton in January – Nayef Aguerd and Aaron Cresswell.

In midfield, Rice will line-up alongside Manuel Lanzini – scorer of two goals in our Europa Conference League campaign so far – and Flynn Downes.

Our record European appearance maker Pablo Fornals will play his 21st continental tie for the Club, with Saïd Benrahma alongside him in support of Michail Antonio up front.

David Moyes also has plenty of experience to call upon from the bench, with Maxwel Cornet making his first appearance in a matchday squad since suffering a calf injury in October.

He is joined by the likes of Danny Ings, Gianluca Scamacca, Jarrod Bowen, Paquetá and Angelo Ogbonna among the manager’s eleven substitutes.


West Ham United: Areola, Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell, Rice ©, Lanzini, Downes, Fornals, Benrahma, Antonio
Subs: Hegyi (GK), Anang (GK), Johnson, Emerson, Ogbonna, Souček, Paquetá, Cornet, Bowen, Scamacca, Ings

 

AEK Larnaca: Pirić, Casas, Miličević, Tomović, Englezou ©, Mamas, Ledes, Sanjurjo, Rosales, Jakoliš, Lopes
Subs: Toumpas (GK), Stylianidis (GK), Gonzalez, Tričkovski, Faraj, Christoforou, Naoum, H. Andreou, Altman, Nikolić
 

Referee: Espen Eskås (NOR)