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West Ham: Areola, Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Kudus, Paqueta, Soucek, Bowen. Subs: Fabianski, Cresswell, Fornals, Antonio, Mavropanos, Ings, Ogbonna, Benrahma, Kehrer.

Forest: Vlachodimos, Aina, Niakhate, Murillo, Toffolo, Sangare, Mangala, Dominguez, Gibbs-White, Awoniyi, Elanga. Subs: Turner, Williams, Kouyate, Wood, Yates, Aurier, Origi, Danilo, Boly.

West Ham: Fabianski (C), Coufal, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Emerson, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Benrahma, Paqueta, Bowen, Kudus. Subs: Areola (GK), Anang (GK), Johnson, Cresswell, Fornals, Antonio, Cornet, Ings, Ogbonna, Kehrer, Souček, Mubama

Olympiakos: Paschalakis, Rodinei, Porozo, Retsos, Ortega, Alexandropoulous, Camara, Hezze, Podence, Jovetić, Fortounis (C) Subs: Tzolakis (GK), Papadoudis (GK), Scarpa, El-Arabi, Vrousai, Quini, Masouras, João Carvalho, Pep Biel, Solbakke, El Kaabi

Hammers 'urgent' need for an additional midfield player who knows how to 'put it about' was highlighted during the 3-2 defeat to Brentford last Saturday, a midfield shorn of the likes of Lucas Paqueta AND Edson Alvarez was cruelly exposed. Ironically the player who could easily have stepped in to fill the gaps is currently on loan at Southampton where he is performing impeccably.

Hammers spirited but eventually pointless visit to the GTech Stadium in West London raised certain issues that just won't go away! Primarily the club or its manager's inability to 'find' a striker has come back to haunt the club in a massive way. It is not as if it is a new scenario, having failed to sign a replacement for Gianluca Scammaca following hot on the heels of not signing a replacement for Sebastien Haller, somehow somewhere there is a serial offender at large!

Brentford: Flekken, Ajer, Collins, Pinnock, Janelt, Norgaard (c), Jensen, Onyeka; Mbeumo, Wissa, Maupay. Subs: Strakosha, Zanka, Ghoddos, Mee, Roerslev, Yarmolyuk, Olakigbe, Brierley, Mayowa.
West Ham: Areola, Coufal, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Emerson, Soucek, Ward-Prowse (c), Bowen, Kudus, Benrahma, Antonio. Subs: Fabianski, Johnson, Cresswell, Fornals, Cornet, Ings, Ogbonna, Kehrer, Mubama.

Brentford have done incredibly well since gaining their promotion to the Premier League three seasons ago, many teams go down after just one season so they and their manager deserve full credit for their success. That said, the way that they have achieved it is somewhat less than attractive.

Fortunes always hiding

Conspiracy theorists might well conclude that West Ham are 'victims' of terrible League Cup draws, the Irons have NEVER won what is still known as the League Cup in most quarters and the likely hood of winning it briefly shone before being extinguished with news that the club's 1/4 final opponents will be none other than arch nemesis Liverpool, away!

West Ham: Fabiański ©, Coufal, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Emerson, Souček, Álvarez, Paquetá, Kudus, Benrahma, Bowen Subs: Areola (GK), Cresswell, Ogbonna, Kehrer, Ward-Prowse, Fornals, Cornet, Ings, Antonio
Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Jorginho ©, Fabio Viera, Havertz, Nelson, Trossard, Nketiah Subs: Hein (GK), Saliba, Cédric Soares, Tomiyasu, Elneny, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli

You don't get to manage over 1,000 top flight professional football games without picking up at least some degree of nous, after all you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time can you?

Towards the end of Hammers embarrassing showing against one time relegation favourites Everton, Alphonse Areola collected the ball and then 'sprinted' towards the opposition. "Shoot" was the Cry from the crowd, and it was NOT ironic! Areola has a massively powerful kick in his repertoire which also includes being able to accurately throw the ball to the halfway line, IF he had taken a shot he could have caught Pickford off his line and quite possibly scored.