West Ham United’s Europa League adventure will continue when they travel to Rapid Vienna on Thursday, where a victory will result in them winning the group.
For the hosts, they must earn three points to stand any chance of progressing into the next round, placing a lot of importance on their performance.
West Ham have been ruthless in their performances so far in Europe, which is why they have already qualified for the knockout stage of the competition.
How The Hammers Ensured Qualification
David Moyes’ Irons ensured qualification in the previous game which ended in a 2-2 draw away at Genk. The game against Genk was the first time they dropped points in the Europa League this season following three wins in their opening three games.
This game was also a memorable one for manager David Moyes as it was the Scot’s 1000th game in management.
Sanctions From UEFA
The Hammers will not have any fans present in Austria as they have accepted sanctions from UEFA as a result of the behaviour of their supporters in the previous game away at Genk.
UEFA have given West Ham a ticket ban as well as a fine of £30,000 for crowd disturbances and the throwing of objects onto the field of play.
Injury News
The home side will be suffering with injury issues as they will be without ex Tottenham defender Kevin Wimmer as well as Leo Greiml, Richard Strebinger, Lukas Sulzbacher, Lion Schuster and Christopher Dibon.
The Hammers on the other hand will only be without Italian Defender Angelo Ogbonna who suffered ACL damage in the 3-2 victory over Liverpool prior to the international break. David Moyes confirmed that surgery will be required and that it will be unlikely that he will feature again this season.
Possible Starting Lineups
Rapid Vienna : Gartler; Ullman , Moormann, Aiwu, Stokjovic; Grahovac, Ljubicic; Fountas, Grull, Knasmullner; Kara
West Ham : Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Dawson, Cresswell; Noble, Rice; Masuaku, Lanzini, Benrahma; Antonio
Previous Meeting
The Hammers defeated their opponents 2-0 in the reverse fixture, with Declan Rice and Said Benrahma both on target, despite the fact they did not have the lion’s share of possession.
Form Guide
West Ham, unbeaten in Europe, suffered a surprising defeat at the weekend at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Raul Jimenez’s third goal of the season proving to be the cause of the Hammers’ first defeat in since the start of October. Despite this, the Hammers still sit in fourth position in the Premier League.
Rapid Vienna sit bottom of Group H after losing three and winning just one of their opening four games in the Europa League.
West Ham last five games all competitions – W W W D W
West Ham Europa League form – WWWD
Rapid Vienna last 5 games all competitions – DWWLLW
Rapid Vienna Europa League form – LLWL
