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Hammers bid to avoid second Cup defeat

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Hammers bid to avoid second Cup defeat

Moyes looking to move above Man United 

Hammers bid to avoid second Cup defeat

West Ham bid to avoid a second cup exit in just over a month as they host Bristol City at the London Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup tomorrow (Sun).

The Hammers ‘first fixture in 2024 concluded with a “respect the point” 0-0 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League, while Bristol City suffered a 1-0 loss to Millwall in the Championship in their last outing.

Despite the Carabao Cup  setback at Anfield, David Moyes‘s squad has since  concludedg 2023 with consecutive 2-0 victories over Manchester United and Arsenal plus the goalless draw at the London Stadium against Brighton.
Moyes relied on goalkeeper Alphonse Areola to secure the draw against Brighton, maintaining the mighty Irons respectable sixth place in the Premier League.
If their European aspirations through the league are closed off in the coming months, the FA Cup could offer another avenue for European qualification. West Ham last won the FA Cup in 1980, and have not progressed further than the 5th round in each of the last six editions.
West Ham’s journey in the FA Cup will temporarily miss the contributions of Africa Cup of Nations representatives Mohammed Kudus (Ghana) and Nayef Aguerd (Morocco), while Thilo Kehrer, the out-of-favour defender, has departed for Monaco on loan.
First-team coach Billy McKinlay, standing in for Moyes, confirmed that Lucas Paqueta (knee), Michail Antonio (knee), Kurt Zouma (knee), and Vladimir Coufal (illness) would undergo assessments on Saturday to determine their availability.
Lukasz Fabianski, an FA Cup winner with Arsenal in 2014, is expected to replace Areola in goal, while fringe players such as Conor Coventry, Maxwel Cornet, and Danny Ings are likely to contend for starting roles.
No Premier League outfit is immune from the odd FA Cup shock, but with the Irons producing a string of exemplary defensive performances in recent matches, Moyes’s men should experience little trouble en route to the fourth round. Bristol City have not beaten the Irons since 1978 and the wait should go on for their next such success

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Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!"

Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon