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West Ham predicted XI vs Magdeburg: George Earthy chance arrives, new signing out
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- West Ham predicted XI vs Magdeburg: George Earthy chance arrives, new signing out
West Ham United travel to Germany on Saturday for their final pre-season friendly of the summer against Magdeburg.
It's three friendlies down and one to go for West Ham this weekend, and Nuno Espirito Santo will be keen to see his side end the summer campaign in strong fashion.
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The Hammers are unbeaten so far in pre-season, with two draws against Southend and Rangers respectively, with a 5-0 win over Stevenage sandwiched between those two games.
Magdeburg are West Ham's final pre-season opponents, who ply their trade in the German second division, in which they narrowly avoided relegation from last season.
With this being the last run out before competitive football starts, Nuno looks set to go strong in the pursuit of finding his best current starting lineup.
So, West Ham Zone attempts to predict how the Hammers will start against their German opposition this Saturday, which is set for a 1:30pm kick-off UK time.
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West Ham ready their defence for Portsmouth
After Magdeburg, West Ham will be looking forward to getting their competitive action under way in 2026-27, as they take on Portsmouth in the first round of the Carabao Cup on 8 August.
Nuno put out a strong team in the most recent 0-0 draw with Rangers last Sunday, and we're expecting him to repeat that against Magdeburg in a 4-4-1-1 formation.
Mads Hermansen is the clear number one goalkeeper right now, and so he's sure to start once again.
Kyle Walker-Peters should get the nod once again at right-back, whilst over on the left, Ollie Scarles looks set to keep his place in the team as the future of El Hadji Malick Diouf continues to be very much up in the air.
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As for the centre-back pairing, Konstantinos Mavropanos looks set to stay with West Ham for the time being as things stand, and so he should start alongside Max Kilman .
So, whilst we're not expecting Nuno to be in the mood for much rotation in defence, there could well be an opportunity for one midfielder to snatch a starting role on the eve of the new campaign.
West Ham face transfer uncertainty: Three things learned after friendly vs Rangers Why Earthy should be given starting chance vs Magdeburg
Moving into midfield, Mohamadou Kante has been playing a big starting role in pre-season for West Ham this summer, and so we're tipping him to keep his place on Saturday.
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Next to him, James Ward-Prowse could be winning back favour under Nuno amid Tomas Soucek 's ongoing ankle injury, and so he appears primed to start once again.
On the right, Jarrod Bowen will of course be expected to start before likely being replaced later on in the match, but opportunity beckons on the opposite flank.
West Ham Zonediscussed Keiber Lamadrid's disappointing performance against Rangers last time out, with the 22-year-old continuing to struggle when it comes to making an impression in the senior side.
Therefore, this now feels like a prime opportunity to hand George Earthy a starting opportunity down the left, which is a position he can and has played in before despite being a more natural attacking midfielder.
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He came off the bench late on against Rangers, and the 21-year-old has plenty of Championship experience with Bristol City.
Earthy was only able to flash his potential with the Robins, but with a current lack of options down the left, Nuno should at least try him there and see if he's got something ahead of the new campaign.
Rounding off the midfield, Pablo looks like West Ham's best number 10 option right now, and is a talent that the Irons won't be giving up on yet, and so he should start there against Magdeburg.
That just leaves one more position to fill, but will Nuno continue to go strong at striker, or is this another opportunity for him to rotate?
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Why West Ham's striker position picks itself
As Hammers fans patiently await new signings, the centre-forward position is one that needs further depth adding to it soon.
Youngster Callum Marshall endured a disappointing loan spell in Germany last season, and he doesn't appear to have particularly caught the eye in pre-season either.
Meanwhile, Niclas Fullkrug is a player the Irons are trying to move on, and with Callum Wilson gone, that just leaves Taty Castellanos and Pablo as the only other seniors options here.
Pablo has tended to operate behind Castellanos though, and with no transfer exit seemingly imminent, the Argentine is the no-brainer selection to lead the line for the foreseeable future.
