West Ham vs. Sunderland: Crucial Match Preview and Predicted Lineups
West Ham will face Sunderland in a crucial match this Saturday, aiming to build on their recent victory against Tottenham. The Black Cats, who have been unbeaten at home this season, are looking to secure their first away win in the league since October. Hammers' victory would not lift them out of the bottom three, but it would boost their confidence. On the other hand, a win for Sunderland could bring them closer to a Champions League spot.
West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo confirmed that Lucas Paquetá will not be available for the match against Sunderland. The team is working on finding a solution for the player's situation. Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski will also be absent, but El Hadji Malick Diouf has returned from AFCON and might feature in the game.
Sunderland will welcome back Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi to their squad after their AFCON return. However, they only resumed training on Thursday and are likely to start from the bench. Bertrand Traore and Arthur Masukau are sidelined due to injuries sustained while on international duty and are expected to be out for a month. Aji Alese is making progress in his recovery by playing for the U21s but is not yet ready for a first-team return.
The predicted lineups for the match include Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Todibo, Diouf, Soucek, Fernandes, Bowen, Pablo, Summerville, and Castellanos for West Ham, while Sunderland is expected to field Roefs, Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Reinildo, Hume, Xhaka, Sadiki, Le Fee, Mundle, and Brobbey.
Both teams will be looking to secure a crucial victory in this encounter, with West Ham aiming to climb out of the relegation zone and Sunderland eyeing a push for a European spot. It promises to be an exciting clash between the two sides.