Soucek, Magassa, Alvarez are back will they all play against QPR?
West Ham return from the international break with the chance to go top of the Championship, and the first team standing in the way is a QPR side that hasn’t lost away from home all season.
West Ham sit second, two points behind Swansea City, who don’t play until Saturday. A win at the London Stadium would put Nuno Espírito Santo’s side top of the table, at least overnight. They’re unbeaten in six league games, and their 22 goals are the most in the division, six of them coming in a single game against Wrexham.
QPR are sixth under Julien Stéphan with three wins, four draws and a single defeat from their first eight. They’ve conceded just seven league goals, the second-best defensive record in the league, and they’re one of only two sides yet to lose on the road. They’ve drawn their last three, most recently 2-2 with Preston after coming from behind.
Best attack against a very mean defence, then. That has been the pattern of West Ham’s season so far: sides sit deep, stay compact, and try to frustrate. Patience will matter, but so will not becoming ponderous.
Tomáš Souček is back in the squad after ankle ligament damage and is expected to see his first action of the Championship campaign. He scored in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Wycombe Wanderers over the break. Whether he starts or comes off the bench is the main selection question, and his return gives Nuno real options in midfield.
Edson Álvarez and Soungoutou Magassa are also expected to be among the substitutes, which gives Nuno cover in the middle of the park that he didn’t have a month ago. Nuno says the squad is in good shape overall, with Keiber Lamadrid the only notable absentee.
Mohamadou Kante misses out through suspension after his red card against Millwall. Reports conflict on Joël Veltman, so check the team sheet an hour before kick-off. Manor Solomon picked up a back problem and illness on international duty, which he’s described as minor, but Edvin Austbø is the fallback if he isn’t right.
QPR have problems of their own. Dennis Cirkin is suspended, and Harvey Vale and Justin Obikwu have had injury-disrupted seasons.
Nuno has stuck with a 4-4-2 in four of the last five games and has no reason to change it. The only real question is whether Souček slots in alongside Arne Engels in place of Divine Mukasa.
Players to Watch
Jarrod Bowen. Four goals and three assists, more goal involvements than anyone in the Championship, and he’s had three or more shots in each of his last eight games. He wasn’t called up for international duty and should come back fresh.
Nicolas Madsen (QPR). He sets their tempo from midfield, and how West Ham deal with him will say a lot about how this game goes.
QPR aren’t a side you can take lightly, and the last meeting between the two ended 2-1 to West Ham. But West Ham have home advantage, the form and the best attack in the league. QPR’s draw-heavy, low-scoring style can be awkward for an hour and still lose to one moment of quality.
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