'Two big doubts' | Expected West Ham starting 11 vs Bolton - The West Ham Way
The West Ham Way · Daniel Luker · 2026-09-08T09:34:26+00:00 · nguồn gốc
West Ham take on Bolton this evening at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
This is a very good opportunity for the Hammers to win a third match in a row; however, if they’re going to do it, they might have to do it without their two main strikers.
Our insider ExWHUEmployee provided us with an injury update earlier today. Pablo Felipe missed the Derby game on Saturday after he withdrew just before the match with a calf issue. However, he could be fit enough to play tonight, but it’s unlikely Nuno will risk him from the start.
This is the same for Taty Castellanos, who was taken off during the derby game with a hamstring issue. However, that also isn’t deemed that serious, and he could be on the bench tonight.
Tomas Soucek is also still missing, but he’s progressing well. He’s in light training and is still targeting the Millwall game for his return.
So, how will Nuno line up tonight? Well, I think he’ll make a few changes. Some because of injury, and some because of squad rotation due to fixture congestion. We played Derby on Saturday; we play Bolton tonight, and we play Wrexham on Friday, before playing Fulham next Tuesday. We’ve got a lot of games, and without being harsh on Bolton, this is certainly the most winnable, so we could see some rotation.
Predicted team to face Bolton: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Scarles; Bowen, Engels, Orford, Austbø; Mukasa, Piroe.
I think Veltman will drop out; we need to manage his minutes because of his age. Also, KWP isn’t a bad deputy, yes he’s been poor so far this season, but he is a terrific left-back at this level, and his form will come back soon, hopefully tonight.
I would like to see Adama Boiro play from the start tonight, but I’m not sure he will risk it. Scarles was poor yet again on Saturday, but Adama looked nervous, so I’m not sure he will start just yet.
With Pablo and Taty unlikely to be fit enough to start, we can’t really play a front two unless he plays Ajala or Bowen up there, but I can’t see that happening. So, I think he will play Piroe up front alone with Mukasa behind him as the ten.
This would mean an extra midfielder will need to come into the team. I hope Nuno has realised Kanté can’t play as a deep midfielder in this West Ham system in the Championship; he isn’t good enough on the ball. However, I think he will go for that, and it will really affect us going forward.
If he doesn’t opt for Kanté, the three options are Orford, Alvarez, and Magassa. I can’t see the latter two starting just yet; they might return in the cup vs Fulham. So, hopefully he goes for Orford. However, with him missing out on the Wolves squad, and he was reportedly set to miss out on the squad vs Derby before Pablo got injured, it’s very unlikely that Orford will start, but we can only hope.
Bolton manager Steven Schumacher has stated they will go for the win against the Hammers; however, they also might rotate with a winnable fixture against Cardiff on Saturday.
This is a great opportunity for West Ham and Nuno. If Taty and Pablo aren’t fit enough for the bench, or worse, then it’s a huge blow, but we still have more than enough to beat a Bolton side that have lost their last three matches.