West Ham midfielder Mark Noble walks away in disappointment. (Getty Images)
West Ham crashed out of the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur but they will be looking to claim all three points on Saturday when they play host to Burnley.
It hasn’t been a great start to the season for Manuel Pellegrini’s men and the Hammers have once again lost momentum after a series of three promising results which included victories against Manchester United and Everton.
Burnley, on the other hand, will be low on confidence after suffering a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Chelsea last week but Sean Dyche’s side will be looking to get at least a point out of this fixture.
Manuel Pellegrini will be a worried man as the Chilean has plenty of injuries and suspensions to contend with for Saturday’s game. Andriy Yarmolenko, Carlos Sanchez, Winston Reid, Andy Carroll, Jack Wilshere and Manuel Lanzini are all ruled out due to injuries while Mark Noble is suspended for the red card that he picked up last week. Marko Arnautovic will be pushing for a return but his selection will be subject to a late fitness test.
The veteran Polish international has been one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League this term, establishing himself as a reliable presence between the sticks.
He did not play in the Carabao Cup fixture which means that he will be fresh to start the Premier League tie on Saturday.
He had a fantastic game last week, scoring his first goal and put in a solid performance at the back.
The Frenchman has been one of West Ham’s standout performers of the season so far and Pellegrini will be expecting another solid performance from him.
Artur Masuaku started the Carabao Cup fixture but Cresswell has done a better job defensively and is likely to start on Saturday.
The Irishman has done an exceptional job shielding the rearguard and has been impressed with his game-reading and tenacity in midfield.
The Spaniard put in a couple of good displays in the midfield before being sidelined due to an injury but he needs to continue from where he had left.
The Brazilian will be expected to add that edge and guile to West Ham’s attack.
The youngster showed glimpses of promise last weekend and he must aim to cement his place in the side with some consistent displays.
He has lacked the end product at times but has otherwise added a lot of value to the attack with his pace, tenacity and physicality.
He has been short of goals this term but Marko Arnautovic might not be fit enough to start.