West Ham XI vs Leicester: Confirmed team news, predicted lineup and injury latest for Premier League | OneFootball

Graham Potter’s side out for back-to-back wins after stunning Arsenal at the Emirates

West Ham will remain without injured duo Lucas Paqueta and Vladimir Coufal for Thursday night’s Premier League meeting with Leicester.

Brazilian playmaker Paqueta sustained an ankle injury during training last week and subsequently sat out the shock 1-0 win at Arsenal, with the former Lyon star also considered likely to miss the home clash with Leicester too.

Hammers boss Graham Potter has confirmed that Paqueta will indeed play no part against the struggling Foxes at the London Stadium along with Coufal, who missed both the victory over Arsenal and home loss to Brentford with a hamstring strain but could return against Newcastle next week.

“Vladi, [there is] certainly a chance for Newcastle. Lucas, we’ll just have to see how he responds. But certainly for Leicester, no.”

West Ham are not believed to be battling any fresh injury concerns as they look to follow up on their win over Arsenal sealed by Jarrod Bowen’s late first-half header at the Emirates Stadium, with Potter still facing a shortage of options in attack.

Along with Paqueta, the Irons are still missing the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug, along with Michail Antonio.

Potter won’t want to mess too much with a winning team, but he may well opt to line up more offensively at home in search of back-to-back victories against a Leicester side who beat them back in November but were thumped by Brentford last time out to continue their horror run under Ruud van Nistelrooy that has left them sitting 19th and now five points adrift of safety.

It remains to be seen if teenage left-back Ollie Scarles will be handed another start ahead of Emerson after earning rave reviews following a surprise full league debut at Arsenal, while, fitness permitting, this could be the ideal game for Brighton loanee Evan Ferguson to make his first West Ham start after a couple of appearances off the bench since joining in January.

Potter went with a back five at Arsenal but could switch to a four-man defence on Thursday, with Aaron Cresswell likely to drop out to incorporate another option further forward.

Predicted West Ham XI: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Todibo, Scarles, Soucek, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Bowen, Kudus, Ferguson

Injured: Paqueta, Coufal, Summerville, Antonio, Fullkrug

Time and date: 8pm GMT on Thursday February 27, 2025

Venue: London Stadium

How to watch: TNT Sports

Referee: Anthony Taylor