West Ham United will round off their preparations for the new Premier League season with their final friendly of the summer against Italian giants Atalanta BC on Saturday afternoon.
The Hammers will begin their 2021-22 campaign away to Newcastle United on August 15, while Atalanta will start their Serie A season away to Torino on August 21.
Match preview
© Reuters
West Ham have played a lot of football this summer, opening their pre-season programme with a 2-2 draw against Dundee on July 9 before beating Northampton Town and drawing with Leyton Orient in their next two.
David Moyes's side have been victorious in their last three friendlies and have impressed in the process, overcoming Reading, Celtic and Brentford, scoring 10 times in the process and conceding just twice.
The Hammers will now complete their preparations for the new season with a clash against Atalanta, and the capital giants will be looking to hit the ground running in their Premier League opener against Newcastle on August 15, while they also have clashes with Leicester City and Crystal Palace before the end of the month.
West Ham have signed Alphonse Areola on loan from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, but it has otherwise been a quiet window, and the club's supporters will be hoping that there is a lot of movement over the next couple of weeks or so.
The Hammers enjoyed an excellent 2020-21 campaign, finishing sixth in England's top flight, meaning that they will play Europa League football during the new season.
© Reuters
Atalanta, meanwhile, will enter this weekend's contest off the back of a 2-1 victory over Pordenone on July 31, and the Italian giants are building towards the start of their new season on August 21.
La Dea will open their 2021-22 campaign away to Torino before finishing the month with a home game against Bologna, and it will be fascinating to see what the club can achieve in the coming season.
Last term, Gian Piero Gasperini's side were impressive, picking up 78 points from their 38 matches to finish in third position, meaning that they have directly qualified for the group stage of the Champions League.
Atalanta have allowed a number of players to leave the club this summer, while they have spent big on Juan Musso and Matteo Lovato and will be hoping to further boost their squad before the window closes.
- D
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Said Benrahma scored the only goal of the match in West Ham's win over Brentford last time out, and the 25-year-old could again start in the final third of the field alongside Michail Antonio.
Craig Dawson and Issa Diop could again line up in the middle of the defence, while Conor Coventry could feature in midfield alongside Mark Noble, who came off the bench against the Bees.
Declan Rice has also recently returned to training following his involvement for England at this summer's European Championship, and the midfielder is likely to feature off the bench against Atalanta.
As for the visitors, it is likely that their XI will have a similar look to the one that took the field for their pre-season clash against Pordenone at the Gewiss Stadium.
Roberto Piccoli was on the scoresheet in his team's last friendly, and it would not be a surprise to see the 20-year-old lead the line against the Hammers.
Ebrima Colley and Aleksey Miranchuk are also in line for spots in the final third of the field, while Robin Gosens is again expected to feature despite suggestions that he could be on the move this summer.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Fredericks, Dawson, Diop, Cresswell; Lanzini, Coventry, Noble, Fornals; Benrahma, Antonio
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Rossi; Sutalo, Djimsiti, Palomino, Maehle; De Roon, Pasalic; Gosens, Miranchuk, Colley; Piccoli
We say: West Ham United 1-1 Atalanta BC
West Ham's pre-season form has been excellent, and they are much further ahead of Atalanta in terms of their preparations for the new campaign. We are expecting a competitive fixture at the London Stadium and have ultimately settled on a low-scoring draw here.
Matt Law
