da betway： West Ham all but secured their Premier League safety with a hard-fought and deserved 1-0 victory over Manchester United over the weekend.
da fazobetai： It was the Irons’ ninth clean sheet of the season and Said Benrahma’s goal after a calamitous David De Gea error catapulted David Moyes’ men up to a seven-point cushion above the relegation zone.
This result means that the Hammers can turn their attention to their mouth-watering Europa Conference league semi-final against AZ Alkmaar, as they bid for their first European trophy since 1965.
Ahead of this game, Moyes provided an injury update on Kurt Zouma, who damaged his ankle in the loss to Crystal Palace back on 29 April.
The Scotsman revealed:
“Kurt has had a day back, but he is just starting back really, and we are just trying to see how his ankle is and how he is getting on. Hopefully, he is making good progress.
"It’s a good chance that it is probably too soon for tomorrow, but we will see how he feels tomorrow and make a decision based on that."
Despite a lack of clarity on his fitness, even if there is any chance he could be available, then West Ham must take the big risk on Frenchman for the biggest game of their season so far.
Why is Kurt Zouma so important for West Ham?
The centre-back has made 28 appearances in all competitions for the East Londoners, and when he has been available he has been the go-to defensive asset, starting 23 of 25 top-flight games when in the squad.
This is because the 11-cap international has registered the highest rating (6.72) of any West Ham defender, as per WhoScored.
The former Chelsea star has built a reputation for reliability, consistency, and solidity. This is also displayed by the £125k-per-week star’s rank in the top 5% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for clearances per 90, according to FBref.
This is followed by the fact that the 28-year-old colossus has recorded the most clearances in the Hammers team, averaging 4.8 per game.
Moyes has previously described the French titan as “commanding” and “exceptional”, and his European experience would be crucial this evening.
The Saint-Étienne prodigy spent seven years at Chelsea, having accrued appearances in the Champions League on multiple occasions and his calmness would hugely benefit his teammates.
Last season, the Irons painfully crashed out of the Europa League at this stage to eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt, and Zouma’s return from injury could be the catalyst to victory.
Therefore, Moyes must take a big risk by unleashing the £30m defender at the London Stadium this evening as West Ham will surely want to carry a clean sheet into the away leg next week.