On Thursday evening, West Ham United will be hosting Silkeborg at the London Stadium, and they will be doing so to try to earn first place in Group B of the Europa Conference League.
While the Hammers have not yet suffered a single loss in the group stage, the visitors have not allowed a single goal in either of their past two group encounters. They have scored 10 goals without receiving a single response.
Our Match Preview: West Ham United vs Silkeborg
West Ham returned to winning ways with a 2-0 win against Bournemouth on Monday, although in contentious circumstances.
Kurt Zouma’s opening was allowed to stand despite Thilo Kehrer handling the ball in the build-up. Said Benrahma scored in second-half stoppage time after Jordan Zemura’s arm blocked Vladimir Coufal’s cross.
David Moyes and co. are 10th in the Premier League, but they lead Group B in the Europa League after four matches, along with Villarreal.
West Ham qualified for the knockout stages with a 2-1 home victory against Anderlecht. The Hammers will be hopeful of a sixth straight home win on Thursday, but they will be cautious of Silkeborg.
West Ham beat FC Midtjylland 3-2 away last month, with goals from Manuel Lanzini, Gianluca Scamacca, and Craig Dawson. A point on Thursday will ensure the top position in Group B.
Silkeborg is competing in European competition for the first time since the 2001-02 UEFA Cup. They are in contention to qualify for the knockout stages in Group B of the Europa Conference League.
The Danes have won two of their first four group games, beating FCSB 5-0 at home and away. Sebastian Jorgensen, Kasper Kusk, and Anders Klynge each scored twice.
Kent Nielsen, who played for Aston Villa from 1989 to 1991, coaches the second-place team in Group B. A win at West Ham on Thursday would be enough to advance if Anderlecht loses to FCSB.
Silkeborg must improve on the road if they are to win in East London since they’ve won just four of their past 12 away matches. The Danes lost 3-2 to Horsens on Sunday after surrendering a 92nd-minute penalty.
Our Team News: West Ham United vs Silkeborg
Both West Ham players, Craig Dawson (thigh) and Maxwel Cornet (calf), are questionable for Thursday’s encounter after being sidelined by injury.
Lucas Paqueta, a midfielder, is still sidelined by a shoulder ailment, while Nayef Aguerd, a central defender, has returned to training after breaking his ankle in the summer and may play for the first team as early as next month.
On the pitch, Alphonse Areola is slated to start in place of Lukasz Fabianski, and many players who were on the bench on Monday including Lanzini, Michail Antonio, Pablo Fornals, and Emerson Palmieri will likely be promoted to the starting lineup.
Silkeborg will be without Mark Brink and Lukas Engel due to hamstring problems. Pelle Mattsson and Gustav Dahl are out with head injuries, while Niclas Holm Pedersen is questionable with a back injury.
A week after getting a red card in a loss to Horsens, Tobias Salquist is slated to start at center defense alongside Joel Felix on Thursday.
Top scorer Sebastian Jorgensen, who has scored eight times in 18 games this season, will have competition from Kasper Kusk and Soren Tengstedt, who both scored in the first meeting with West Ham.
- West Ham United possible starting lineup: Areola, Johnson, Zouma, Ogbonna, Coufal, Rice, Lanzini, Emerson, Fornals; Bowen, Antonio.
- Silkeborg possible starting lineup: Larsen, Sonne, Salquist, Felix, Klitten, Kiynge, Gojani, Thordarson, Jorgensen, Helenius, Kusk.
Our Prediction: West Ham United 3-1 Silkeborg
On Thursday, the London Stadium will play host to a match that promises to be an exciting battle between two offensive-minded clubs. There is a lot on the line for both of these teams in this matchup.
Silkeborg will likely be optimistic about their prospects of breaking through West Ham’s defense once again; but, we foresee the Hammers walking away with all three points and claiming first place in Group B.