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Nuno Espirito Santo looks set to ring the changes when West Ham travel to League One Burton Albion in the FA Cup fourth round.
The Hammers have a weekend off from the intense pressure cooker of the Premier League relegation battle as they look to make the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in three years.
West Ham are also looking to make it five wins from six games in all competitions against Gary Bowyer’s Burton side who, like their Premier League opponents, are in the relegation zone and battling to survive.
The Irons go into the game off the back of a 1-1 draw with Man United which, in many ways, felt like a defeat after the Red Devils equalised in the 96th minute with a freak goal.
Nottingham Forest drawing with basement boys Wolves the next day put a more positive spin on West Ham’s result, though.
West Ham get a week off from Premier League pressure cooker
Next up Forest, who have replaced Sean Dyche with Vitor Pereira, have Liverpool while the Hammers face Bournemouth.
So there is every chance West Ham could find themselves out of the bottom three after the next Premier League game week.
A very good omen for Burton… 🏆 🍻
What message do you have for Nuno ahead of the FA Cup 4th round?
For this weekend, though, the intensity of that battle lessens and West Ham focus instead on some FA Cup magic.
When West Ham draw a lower league side, the TV companies always smell an upset.
Photo by Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
So it should be no surprise to learn the Hammers’ match at Burton is on TNT Sports, who clearly see it as a potential banana skin.
Given West Ham’s great form of late, the temptation for Nuno Espirito Santo might be to stick with a similar team to the one that has been performing so well.
By the same token, the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Mateus Fernandes, Taty Castellanos and Crysencio Summerville have been doing a lot of heavy lifting.
So the head coach may have a big decision to make about resting several key stars, with new signing Pablo the victim of a serious injury.
We predict Nuno will make 10 West Ham changes for the FA Cup tie at Burton as three youngsters start.
Nuno to make 10 West Ham changes as three youngsters start?
Nuno has already confirmed Alphonse Areola will come back into the side for the FA Cup tie.
Areola was brutally dropped recently for Mads Hermansen despite being one of West Ham’s best players since the Portuguese arrived.
What do YOU want to see in the FA Cup fourth round? 🏆
Or, ‘who’ do you want to see?
West Ham potential Burton XI
West Ham have only conceded one goal in Hermansen’s two games – when they have been shipping over two goals per game on average with Areola.
That will be change number one to the Hammers side and the rest of the defence is being swapped out too.
Nuno may be tempted to start Axel Disasi again given his lack of competitive football since last April.
Photo by Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
But that would also carry the risk of injury, so expect to see the Frenchman replaced by Max Kilman.
Kyle Walker-Peters and Ollie Scarles will replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf at full-back in changes three and four.
Impressive young centre-back Ezra Mayers then looks set for a start as he replaces Konstantinos Mavropanos.
In midfield another rising young Hammers star will start with the exciting Mohamadou Kante playing alongside Soungoutou Magassa with Tomas Soucek and Mateus Fernandes dropping out.
The only starter remaining from the Man United XI is going to be Freddie Potts.
Potts the only survivor of sweeping Nuno changes?
The game gives Adama Traore the chance to increase his fitness with Nuno telling the press that the hulking Spaniard is not as sharp as he can be with regular game time.
That was after Traore failed to help Scarles close down Bryan Mbeumo for Man United’s late equaliser despite having only just come on as an impact sub.
Traore comes in for captain Jarrod Bowen, who is in desperate need of a rest having played through pain for several weeks.
West Ham’s man of the moment, Crysencio Summerville, will be rested too as exciting loan winger Keiber Lamadrid makes his first team debut.
Up front Taty Castellanos will be held back given Pablo’s significant injury.
Expect Callum Wilson to start up top in his place in change number 10 of a possible 11.
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