Julen Lopetegui makes seven West Ham changes for Brentford as star gets first Premier League start

Heavy defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool in the last week have piled the pressure on the Spaniard just seven matches into his Hammers tenure.

Brentford away gives the 57-year-old the perfect opportunity to change the narrative.

Excuses have been made for – and by – Lopetegui about West Ham’s tough fixture list so far.

But Brentford is a winnable game for West Ham. Especially as the hosts are set to be without as many as eight first team players for the clash.

With just one Premier League win to his name in five so far, Lopetegui needs a victory.

The club’s owners have already made it clear to the manager ‘the next two games are huge and we must improve’.

Under pressure West Ham boss has chance to change narrative

The Bees have had the better of this particular fixture since their promotion to the top flight in 2021.

West Ham have won just one of the six meetings and Brentford the other five.

That record must become two in seven for the Hammers if Lopetegui is to dampen the noise around his future.

With pressure, every call he makes is amplified.

West Ham put on a decent showing for 60 minutes at Liverpool in midweek.

That first hour will have given plenty for the manager to be positive about.

But the alarming late collapse provided some sobering clarity too.

The side was much-changed for the trip to Anfield in the cup with many key players rested.

So there will likely be sweeping alterations once again.

We predict Lopetegui looks set to make seven West Ham changes for Brentford as star gets first Premier League start.

Lopetegui makes seven West Ham changes for Brentford

Hammers News has exclusively revealed that striker Niclas Fullkrug is out until after the October international break.

That means Lopetegui’s biggest decision is who to start up front between Jarrod Bowen, Michail Antonio and Danny Ings.

Alphonse Areola will come back into the starting XI in place of Lukasz Fabianski in change one from the team which started at Liverpool.

Neither goalkeeper has covered themselves in glory in recent matches.

But Fabianski started to look his age at Anfield.

Changes two and three will see Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson replace two more ageing Hammers in Vladimir Coufal and Aaron Cresswell at full-back.

Todibo gets first Premier League start

Jean-Clair Todibo will stay in the team to make his first Premier League start.

The fourth change will see Guido Rodriguez come back in for the suspended Edson Alvarez.

Another dilemma is midfield. It simply hasn’t been functioning as a unit and sorely lacks physical power, pace and any genuine guile on the evidence so far.

It’s up to Lucas Paqueta or Carlos Soler to start changing that.

Change five will see Paqueta come back in to start in place of either Tomas Soucek or Soler.

We think Lopetegui might want Soucek’s height and strength against a tall, robust Brentford team.

So it could be Soler to sit out.

Changes six and seven might be the most controversial among fans.

Many want to see Bowen play up front with Mohammed Kudus on the right and Crysencio Summerville on the left.

But we think Lopetegui will bring Antonio back in for Ings up top.

And Summerville will be harshly dropped with Kudus starting in his place on the left.

Predicted West Ham starting XI to face Brentford:

Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Todibo, Emerson, Rodriguez, Soucek or Soler, Paqueta, Kudus, Bowen, Antonio.

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