West Ham face Chelsea tonight in what will be the first London derby at the London Stadium. This makes it an important game regardless of the competition it’s played in, but the EFL Cup is being taken more seriously each year and a cup run would greatly boost the morale of the West Ham players and fans alike. As Bilic put it himself, “If we go through, it’s already the quarter-finals… because some big teams will have left, you may have an easier game and then you’re nearly there”.
A strong team will likely be played by the Hammers, as Bilic and David Gold have hinted at, so it will certainly be an interesting clash to see where West Ham stand after two back-to-back victories have boosted their confidence and hopefully got them back to winning ways. Andre Ayew could also be involved which will be another boost.
Yet, while a strong team will and should be played, the game offers a great chance for players who don’t play as regularly to be involved. Darren Randolph will start in goal if he has recovered from his injury, and we could see Sofiane Feghouli start and Edimilson Fernandes play in his preferred position of CM. It would be great to see Marcus Browne get a runout but I doubt Bilic will want to throw him in against a side like Chelsea.
Two young players who should be given a chance, though (aside from Fernandes) are Ashley Fletcher and Reece Oxford. Both have Premier League experience but have never been used extensively in the first team, with Fletcher having several cameos off the bench this season.
Oxford is desperate for first team football, and with a three centre-back formation likely being used going forward, you would expect him to get more game time. Tonight would be the perfect chance to see how he fits into the system. Fletcher has looked like West Ham’s brightest striker this season, and the team always look more dangerous when he’s on the pitch, so tonight would be the perfect opportunity to prove himself.
It is understandable why Bilic doesn’t want to put these two in the team for Premier League matches at the moment because of the tense situation the team is in, but tonight is a test against Premier League opposition in a game which doesn’t hold the importance of a league clash – a perfect time to throw them into the deep end.
